A prophecy and a viking
by Cpt.Carnage
Summary: Taken by a dragon as a baby Hiccup is taken to a far away land where a prophecy tells about a child who will end a long war. Meanwhile things turn grim on Berk as the village is broken in two factions. Years later the lost heir return to his land of birth on a mission to uphold political stability. All while in service of the Draconian Empire.
1. Chapter 1: It had been foretold

**Chapter 1: It had been foretold**

 _During severe turmoil, the great four-wing shall come_

 _Carrying a child destined to end a long conflict_

 _A warrior, leader and rider of lightning and death_

 _A bringer of peace to the known world._

 **Berk, early morning, 248 ADF (after draconian founding)**

The dragon raid was tearing through the village like a fiery hurricane. Like it had been doing for the past three centuries. This night held something foreboding however, something terrible was about to happen.

"Get them away from the food storage and great hall! Box these devils in!" boomed the chief' s voice over the village.

Stoick 'the Vast' Haddock had been chief for a few years now and had gained the respect and loyalty of his villagers in this time. He was a battle hardened man, willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the village. In other words there was nothing he wouldn't do to protect his village.

The same could be said for his recently born son. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third was born only a few weeks ago to the chief and his wife Valka. Born to early he had a small and frail stature. Some even believed he would die very soon, but Stoick never doubted that his son would grow up to be the strongest of them all. And he would be proven correct, although he wouldn't see it for himself.

For indeed something would happen tonight that would shake Berk and the rest of the northern world for the next few years.

"Were driving them back Stoick, it won't be long before the beasty's retreat" Gobber reported to his superior. Those who didn't know the village blacksmith known as Gobber would say he had no place on a battlefield as he was missing both his left hand and right foot. However looks can be deceiving. Gobber was still in his prime and an excellent warrior. And the chief's best friend.

"Good, when this is over I'll be happy to go back home and…" Stoick war rudely interrupted by a loud crash and people screaming. He turned around only to see a sight that made his blood run cold.

A massive dragon with four wings has broken in his house and was crawling inside. He saw his wife running back to the house in pure despair. At that moment the always stoic chief visibly showed fear. His son was still inside, with that massive monster. He wasted no time and broke in a sprint towards his home. Desperate, he would not lose his new-born son to these devils.

By this time Valka had already reached the house and rushed inside grabbing the nearest sword whilst running to the room little Hiccup was laying in his crib. She didn't dare think what this dragon would do to her little boy. She always believed dragons and people could coexist peacefully but all those thoughts were out the window right now, she would stop at nothing to protect her son.

She bursted in the room where the crib was and stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw. She almost dropped her sword in surprise. This dragon wasn't attacking her son. It was playing with him and Hiccup went along with it. He and the dragon were cooing at one another, like they could understand each other and were having a quiet conversation. She shifted the weight on her feet making the floor under her crack slightly.

This sudden sound startled the dragon turning his head to Valka and causing it to slightly cut the infant Hiccup' s chin causing him to wail out. The dragon looked back to Hiccup immediately and it's facial expression changed from what looked like surprise to… Guilt?

Valka didn't know what to think anymore. This dragon had just confirmed everything she believed about dragons to be true. She watched this dragon making distinct sounds to Hiccup as if trying to apologise. To her surprise Hiccup seemed to understand it was an accident, stopped crying and looked at the dragon with wide eyes.

Then Stoick almost literally bursted through the wall and like acting an instinct chucked his battle axe towards the four-winged dragon. The axe missed its target and embedded itself into the wall. The dragon now scared for his life began spraying the room with its fire. Effectively setting the entire house ablaze. However in doing so it knocked Valka against the wall knocking her slightly unconscious. Stoick was boxed in by the fire but seeing his wife knocked out propelled him to leap through the fire towards her. Ready to defend her to the death.

This gave the dragon the chance to escape but it doubted for a second. This child was special, he knew it to be true. But he also knew that the child's potential would be wasted or destroyed if he grew up in this barbaric village. He made his choice.

The dragon stretched his wing preparing to take flight but while doing so he took the infant Hiccup with his blanket in his talons and launched off into the night sky.

Stoick only stood still looking at the sky with a horrified expression. He just witnessed his only son being carried off by a dragon. Never to be seen again.

"Hiccup, no…" he whispered to himself in defeat. The raid was over and the village was safe again. But he paid the highest price a father can ever pay.

 **(several hours later)  
Berk, morning, 248 ADF**

The morning after the raid everyone in the village was trying to attend to their daily duties. However everyone did so with great sorrow. After the events of last night nobody was in the mood for anything. Al the village felt along with the chief and his wife for the loss of their son.

Angus Hofferson was at the docks monitoring the outgoing fishing boats to replenish the raided food storages from last night. But his thoughts were also to the now lost Haddock heir. He was particularly sad because of the apparent bond the young boy and his new-born daughter seemed to share. Astrid was only a few weeks old as well being born only a week after Hiccup. And she already possessed the spirit of a Valkyrie.

Whenever she was put together with other children she would act threatening towards them, sometimes even throwing light punches. All but one suffered from this treatment. Little Hiccup.

When they were first put together his mother feared for the consequences as the little Hofferson's temper was already known throughout the village. To their surprise however she wasn't treathening at all. They even snuggled together.

At this moment Angus knew that the two were meant to be friends, and he silently hoped for them to become something more.

But all that hope was now lost.

Just then Spitelout Jorgenson walked up next to him. "A pity the boy got taken isn't it." He said to Angus with clearly faked sadness.

"You sound like you are actually happy that the boy is gone Spitlout?" Angus said irritated. It was no secret he didn't like the Jorgenson patriarch. He always had an ego bigger than his head and was power-hungry. But hearing him speak so resentful about the boy disgusted him. He was still Spitelout's nephew after all.

"We both know the boy wouldn't have lived long Angus. He wasn't strong or Viking like. Were better off without him as an heir." Spitelout scoffed.

Angus couldn't believe his ears. Spitelout was always a bastard but this trumped everything. "You don't know that Spitelout, he could have grown up to be the most powerful Viking in the archipelago for all you know. And he was your nephew for Thor's sake, don't you care at all?!" He angrily almost shouted.

"Berk would be better off with a strong, Viking like heir. Like my son. You know your daughter could serve as an excellent wife." Spitelout said almost smugly.

"Over my dead body Spitelout, I will never agree to that. And neither will my daughter." Angus seethed angrily. "I will also never allow you to take power or defy Stoick. Mark my words Spitelout this will come to haunt you later."

Angus then left the docks steaming, leaving a steaming Spitelout behind. He went straight home to speak with his wife about this. He had a feeling Spitelout would try to overthrow Stoick in the future and he would not let that happen. But he also knew he couldn't do it alone. 'I should speak with the Ingermans and Gobber about this. We need people we can trust' he thought to himself before entering his home.

Who knew the death of such a young boy could divide an entire village.


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Draconia young one

**Chapter 2: Welcome to Draconia young one**

 **Skies near Draconian border, evening, 248 ADF**

The great four-wing known as Cloudjumper flew as fast as he could. He needed to reach his destination fast, otherwise the fragile package he carried would be beyond saving. He knew this child was special but to reach his full potential he could not grow up in such an barbaric village. He needed something better.

And Cloudjumper knew just where to find it.

The scenery changed when he flew inside the borders of the Draconian empire. An empire ruled by a fair dynasty which lived in peace with the dragons. It was located on a continent south of the barbaric archipelago, although the Viking were unaware of the empire's existence due to the dragon was cutting them of from imperial trade routes. Also due to the fact that the empire was fighting a war for itself. For the last 82 years they were fighting to reclaim their land on the other side of the continent from the Norn. A horde of aggressive invaders from over the southern sea. They bore close resemblance to Vikings and it was believed they shared the same ancestors. In their conquest for land they bumped on the draconian continent and started a war that has raged on for 82 years with no clear victor on both sides.

Cloudjumper made his way towards the Draconian capital with haste. For he knew these people would be able to raise the young boy. Soon he reached the outer wall of the great capital city and flew in the direction of the imperial palace. The people looked up to the great dragon that was depicted on the crest of their empire. Stormcutters were legendary in these lands and the empire's crest depicted a stormcutter with its wings spread looking to the horizon. It was an ode to the old prophecy mentioning the stormcutter. Only a few people noticed the smell package in his claws when he flew over towards the palace. They could only stare in wonder.

Cloudjumper sped forth and soon landed on the balcony of the imperial palace, where he was soon joined by none other than the emperor and empress escorted by their personal guard force, the first legion.

They came closer slowly not knowing why a stormcutter had flown across the entire capitol and landed on their balcony. Cloudjumper as if sensing their confusion opened his wings to reveal the young hiccup wrapped in his blanket peacefully sleeping underneath the giant dragon.

The royal pair was perplexed. They had sometimes dreamed of this moment, the prophecy was true. Even their guards almost dropped their weapons in surprise, there wasn't a soul in the empire who didn't know the prophecy. 'It had finally come true' was among the things going through their head.

The royal pair stepped forward slowly toward Cloudjumper to pick up the young child at his base. Cloudjumper allowed them to step closer, he sensed and knew these people would be perfect to raise this child. The emperor kneeled down and gently picked up the child.

"It's a boy." He said to his wife who had joined him in front of Cloudjumper.

"He's small, probably only a few weeks old." Said the empress, already willing to adopt the child as her own. "Does he have a name?" she asked her husband while looking at the child lovingly.

The emperor looked over the boy's body and noticed a small bracelet around his left arm. "Hiccup… it says Hiccup on his bracelet." The male royal said and smiled. "Welcome Hiccup."

 **The next day**

 **Draconian imperial palace, noon, 248 ADF**

The next day the emperor had summoned all his advisors and dignitaries who were present in the capitol for an emergency meeting. There were already rumours spreading about the prophecy and that the legendary child had finally arrived.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming on such a short notice." The emperor began. "I have summoned you all here to discuss an urgent matter."

"Emperor Dytaldir we have been hearing rumours about the prophecy, that the child has arrived. Is this true?" one of the advisors asked the emperor.

"It is, the child spoken of arrived last night on our balcony and is now being cared for by my wife." Dytaldir spoke to the council.

"And this is why you summoned us your majesty?" a female dignitary asked whilst silently being ecstatic that the prophesized one had finally arrived.

"His name is Hiccup as stated by the bracelet he was wearing when he was brought to us. We believe he is from Viking origin and was likely orphaned or abandoned by his parents." Dytraltir proclaimed. "Me and my wife have decided he is to be raised as our adoptive son and brother to our two year old daughter. Any objections to this idea?"

Al the present dignitaries and advisors nodded or voiced their approval. They all knew that the emperor and empress were perfect for this responsibility.

To this Dytaldir continued. "And when he is old enough he will be trained and mentored in our ways. So that he will be prepared for the responsibility that awaits him. For now we can only give him a loving childhood and hope he may grow up the man we all need him to be."

"Are you going to address the public about this your majesty?" the female dignitary asked again.

"My wife and I will address the nation within a few days. First we need to make sure Hiccup is healthy and accommodate for his presence in the palace." The emperor declared. "Thank you ladies and gentlemen. This meeting is dismissed."

All rose from their seats and bowed in respect for their emperor then took their leave.

Dytaldir rose from his seat and walked to the nearby window. "He will grow up a great man. I might not be his true father but I know he will succeed in what is to come, and I will love him like a father would and should. Great responsibility may rest on your shoulder young hiccup, but you will have your friends, allies and me at your side." He said to himself whilst staring out the window over the city.

 **And that's a wrap. The first two chapters are finished and ready for publishing. I made this story from a random idea I had a while back and I wanted to write it out. I haven't found a lot of stories with this concept so I hope you all enjoy it. Please review if you like. Anyway enjoy my first story.**


	3. Chapter 3: 18 years later

**May the fourth be with you. Yes I know it's a day too late, I really wanted it to be up yesterday but the chapter wasn't finished in time. Anyway the story progresses several years into the future and we see what has become of infant-Hiccup. Berk will not be featured for some time. Also a lot of elements have been inspired by Star Wars. See if you can find them. Trivia in the author's note below. So without further rambling here is…**

 **Chapter 3: 18 years later**

 **(18 years later)**

 **Forests in Draconian south-west, Norn Frontline, Late morning, 266 ADF**

The third legion moved silently through the forests of Draconia, they were on the front of the Draconian-Norn war. They were an accomplished unit with several major victories on their record. In truth for the last four years the wars started to turn in their favour thanks to all the new armour and equipment they were issued. And they had a lot of it thanks to their marshal-commander who helped in the development.

Though their commander might be young his authority was unquestioned. But then you wouldn't expect any different from a prophesized war hero raised by the emperor and empress.

Marshall-commander Hiccup moved along with his troops towards the Norn encampments several kilometres south. His faithful dragon companion never leaving his side. He was a dragon rider, a sub-group in the Draconian military. His armour was a customised third legion uniform. Essentially a brown body glove with standard trooper armour in the third legion's green camouflage decal. Heavy steel and leather boots reaching to just below the knee and an armour patch on the knee while the rest of his legs had the body glove exposed. It worked well with the camouflage. A utility belt containing his various tools and weapons, such as throwing knives, daggers, various explosives, spare crossbow bolts, ration supplies and on the back of his hips was his self-forged collapsible sword in its sheath. Complete with a kama to indicate his affiliation as a dragon rider and senior officer.

Further completed with a lightweight but durable dragon-steel chestplate protecting his front and back. On his shoulders and arm were the standard shoulder guards, upper arm protection and elbow guards of a third legion trooper. All in camouflage decal. His gauntlet however were a different story, being a blacksmith and inventor in his past time he made some special modifications to them. First would be the miniaturized crossbow on the left arm capable of shooting a single bolt at very fast speeds, but most importantly were the triple wrist claws on both his arms that could be extended or retracted with the flick of a wrist. A weapon made by trial and error that ended up cutting him in his hand multiple times. Another reason to wear armoured gloves. His helmet was standard issue brown-green metal and leather helmet that covered his entire head and face with a breathing filter, a rim above the eyes to protect against the sun and a green tinted glass visor underneath the rim. A durable helmet for ground and air operations.

The Norn encampment they were heading to was a few kilometres south, positioned in a clearing in the dense forest. They needed to clear this encampment out so they could push the Norn back out of the forest and link up the frontline with the fourth and fifth legions. However doing so was tricky, due to the dense foliage heavy artillery was rendered useless as careful aim was nearly impossible. A joined air assault between the riders an navy was also turned down as it would ruin the element of surprise for the ground troops. So the entire legion went on foot.

The third legion moved slowly south toward the camp, they still had to wait until the scouts came back from their patrol to maximize the efficiency of their attack.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound in the bushes nearby. Hiccup's fist immediately shot up to halt his troops, who immediately stopped an crouched down.

Out of the bushes came several raptor dragons with riders wearing similar armour on their backs. It were the scouts. Raptors were believed to be a cousin breed of the speedstinger, however they lacked the stinger on their tail. These wingless dragons were pack hunters with large claws on their hind legs and two small frontal arms to grab onto small objects. They used their tail for balance as they were among the fastest land runners known to man. Like almost all dragons they were able to be domesticated and were being used by the empire as mounts for battle and scouting missions.

Due to their unique physique amongst the dragons their rider earned their very own official nickname in the imperial ranks: Raptor-troopers.

Seeing that it were their brothers and sisters who mad the noise Hiccup and the rest of the legion visibly relaxed and began standing up again. The lead scout approached Hiccup.

"Commander, we've scouted the perimeter around the encampment. We've encountered no patrols, we have a straight shot into their base." The lead scout reported.

"Good, spread yourselves among the line and follow silently. We're going in." Hiccup ordered with a voice that was further deepened by his helmet's air filters.

The army got moving again and soon reached the edge of the clearing without further incident. Because of their camouflaged armour they were nearly invisible in this environment so the guard posts placed around the camp were unaware of their presence.

"Counting seven guards, the rest of the Norn must be in the tents for lunch." Hiccup deducted. "Scouts, take them out simultaneously with your crossbows." He ordered to the nearby scouts.

The crossbows they were using had come a long way as well. They had a sturdy stock, precise aiming sights and an intricate loading system. They had two loading slots which counted for two shots in rapid succession. The slots could click upwards for easy loading when the crossbow's cables were primed. The bolts had also seen some improvement as they had gone from wooden bolt with metal tips to fully metal forged bolts designed to fly straight and fast. The weapon was effective it could pierce a Norn's armour from 80 meters away in a single shot. Or make a very serious dent in their metal helmets.

"Affirmative commander." The scouts nodded as they grabbed their crossbows from the back of their seats on their raptors, who stayed completely still.

"Ready, Aim,…" The scouts whispered to each other as they took aim to their designated target. "Fire…"

Seven crossbow bolts flew out of the treeline whizzing silently to their targets. Each of them hit their mark in the guard's lightly armoured neck or throat. They all fell to the ground with a light thump.

Then Hiccup signalled his troops to move inside the camp silently. The legion of 250 active troops moved out of the treeline towards the various tents were Norn forces were eating and drinking. Never aware of the draconian troops sneaking around several meters away.

Every trooper was briefed on the plan of attack and knew exactly what they had to do. They positioned themselves around the various tent entrances and waited for their commander to give the order to attack.

Once Hiccup was satisfied with the placement of his troops he nodded, giving his troops the order to start and positioned himself among his soldiers to fight along.

The troops around the tents then unhooked a cylindrical device with several gears and buttons from their belts. A handheld explosive made from an explosive chemical mixture and pressurised zippleback gas. They pressed the priming button and several light clicking sounds could be heard followed by quiet ticking. Like a clockwork.

They threw the bombs inside the tents resulting is several surprised shouts from the Norn inside.

But it was already too late.

"Boom." One of the troopers joked.

KABOOOM!

Several tents were blown to pieces by fiery blasts. Killing several Norn instantly and severely injuring others. Next the encampment erupted into chaos.

The Norn who survived the blasts and weren't too injured took up their arms and charged the draconian troopers. Fights broke out everywhere, but the third legion had a distinct advantage possessing the element of surprise and the help of the airborne dragon rider who had now joined the fray just as planned.

Hiccup drew his collapsible sword and extended it with a press of a button causing the built in springs and wires to extend the sword in a battle ready position. He then charged one of the Norn warriors who tried to double team one of his troopers. He blocked the warrior's giant battle axe and quickly kicked him in the chest forcing him back and away from his trooper.

Meanwhile Hiccups loyal dragon companion Toothless was wreaking havoc amongst the enemy forces and structures. Proving worthy of his legendary name the sleek black dragon was repetitively dive-bombing the camp shattering key structures like the armoury or encampment forge or destroying groups of enemies who threatened his friend and allies with his powerful plasma-blasts. Whilst terrifying enemy warriors into fleeing with his distinct screech.

Hiccup himself wasn't any different, he could be compared by a whirlwind on the battlefield. Spinning his sword at his enemies, ducking under their attacks and then immediately slicing their throats, turning around to punch another warrior in the gut with his extended wrist-claws and even finding the time to shoot a crossbow bolt from his arm in another warrior's eye.

The remaining Norn warriors realised they couldn't win this battle and turned tail, trying to get away from the third legion's assault. They fled south into the forests hoping to re-join with their brethren further back on the front line. They didn't care for lost territory as the believed it would be reconquered in the next attack.

Hiccup stabbed another Norn warrior and looked up to see another one get send flying by his best friends plasma-blast. Then he noticed that the remaining Norn had turned tail and retreated.

"Riders, they're retreating! After them, drive them out of the forests!" He yelled to his brothers and sisters in the sky. They reacted immediately to this order and shot after the stragglers.

Meanwhile the battle at the encampment died down as the last Norn were defeated. The camp itself was in ruins due to the bombs and strafing runs from the dragon riders of the legion.

The troopers began assembling the wounded and treating them while Hiccup and a couple of other assessed the casualties.

"At least twelve dead and twenty-one wounded commander." A lieutenant reported. True the fighting didn't go without cost, both in manpower and dragon as at least one raptor ant its rider were killed in the skirmish.

"Collect the bodies and prepare enough funeral pyres." Hiccup said slightly sad. He had seen his fair share of death among his troopers but it never stopped making him sad. "Tell the troops to have some rest, we move out tomorrow morning to link up with the fourth and fifth."

"Affirmative sir." The lieutenant said. He then walked away to execute his orders.

Toothless landed near Hiccup and came bounding to him with a worried expression.

"Don't worry bud, I'm fine" Hiccup reassured his reptile friend whilst taking his helmet off.

Underneath the helmet was a young man with shaggy auburn hair that went in every direction. He had a long and thin braid of hair hanging behind his right ear. There was a hint of stubble on his face and a small scar on his chin. The scar that was made by Cloudjumper and Hiccup's first meeting. He had vibrant green eyes that spoke kindness, loyalty and most of all leadership. Though he would never say that of himself.

"I appreciate the care Toothless, but you know I can care for myself." Hiccup said to his companion. Toothless snorted and looked at him with an expression that said: "you keep telling yourself that Hiccup, before I have to drag you out of the mud again."

Hiccup laughed at this. His dragon friend could always cheer him up. Their bond was one of the strongest in the empire as they had known each other since they were five. It also helped that he could understand dragon language from a very young age. He couldn't speak it but he understood.

This was one of the reasons Cloudjumper took him. But Hiccup understood why he did it. He knew he wasn't the emperor and empress's son. He knew he was adopted. He knew he had a Viking heritage. But he had no hard feelings. When the war was over he promised to set out and find his biological parents if they were alive. If not then so be it, he only wanted to know who they were, but he wasn't planning to leave the empire for good.

Pushing those thoughts aside he turned to his friend. "Come on bud lets go check on the wounded. See what we can do." He said whilst turning and walking towards the improvised infirmary. Toothless happily followed.

 **Forest clearing, destroyed Norn encampment, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and a large group of troopers were standing in front of twelve funeral pyres. The twelve soldiers they lost today in the attack on the very encampment they were standing in. All had their heads bowed in respect for the fallen. This ceremony was a tradition in the draconian military for years prior, a tradition still kept intact by the current generation.

Many were showing their respect while others were comforting those who were close to the casualties. Also out of respect everyone had removed their helmets, showing that they were all different yet wearing the same uniform standing together as brothers and sisters.

Hiccup took a step forward to the pyres to speak the final words for the fallen. Tradition says that the commanding officer should be the one to honour their troops.

"They say we are all made of the same dust, that every man and animal is family. Today we say goodbye to twelve brave men and women stood beside us during the years, as friends and family. From dust we were created and to dust we shall return. May you all find peace in the next world." Hiccup spoke.

Hiccup then stepped back into the row of troopers and gave a silent nod to the several dragon riders and their dragons around the pyres. They all nodded back in acknowledgment of the order and gave their dragons the order to light the pyres.

The dragonfire lit the pyres in a controlled manner and basked the clearing in an orange light.

Hiccup remained standing for a few moments before the group began to disperse and thin out. He then walked to Toothless who was sitting several meters away. He greeted his friend with a light scratch under the chin and proceeded to grab his blanked and bedroll.

He laid himself down next to Toothless and removed his boots and pieces of armour in preparation for a night's sleep. They would move out in the morning to link up with the fourth and fifth legion. The riders he had sent after the retreating Norn had returned a few hours prior and reported they had fled out of the forest. For Hiccup and his troops the road was open, they were close to completing their mission.

With that Hiccup fell asleep underneath Toothless's wings.

 **(The next morning)**

 **Southern forest edge, Draconian frontline, late morning, 266 ADF**

Moving through the rest of the forest to the south edge proved to be easy, there was no resistance at all and the atmosphere among the troops was relaxed. And why wouldn't it be, they knew once they linked up they got to go on shore leave for some time. And they needed it.

When they came out of the forest edge they were greeted by their brothers and sisters of the fourth legion who had set up a small base there in preparation for the third legions arrival. They had heard of the Norn defeat in the forests and closed the line. Making it safe for the transports to land.

The transports were another innovation in the military. They were giant airships with two fish-like balloons keeping it floating with a large cabin underneath capable of holding about 80 troops and several dragons. They were armed with cannons but were rarely used in a full frontal assault. Their purpose was more that of a transport. The entire thing was driven by propellers and steam engines powered by its own fireworm colony.

Then several fourth legion troopers approached Hiccup and his men. Their armour was kind of similar except theirs was white with yellow lines, they had pauldrons on their shoulders and their helmets didn't have the rim above the eyes and their visor was more T-shaped.

"Hiccup! Great to see you again, I presume you had a good hunt?" Hiccup was greeted by the fourth legion's marshal-commander Valentine, a good friend of Hiccup.

"Valentine, good to see you're still alive." Hiccup greeted back. "And yes we've had a pretty good campaign."

"Glad to hear it mate. Hey Toothless how're you doing?" Valentine said to which the dragon gave a toothless smile as an answer.

"I'll take that as great. Anyway ready for your shore leave Hiccup?" Valentine asked his fellow commander.

"Yeah I guess, the troops really need it. Plus it 'll be nice to see mom, dad and Mae again." Hiccup chuckled at that last comment.

"Yes we both know how fond your adoptive-sister is of you. She almost never left your side when you were younger." Valentine recalled. Hiccup and princess Maery or Mae as Hiccup called her might not have been true brother and sister but they did consider each other as family.

"Yes she is, although I know another man who is very fond of her don't I?" Hiccup smirked at Valentine teasing his with his feelings for the royal princess.

"Shut up Hiccup." Valentine said nervously. Luckily he was still wearing his helmet so no-one saw him blush, but Hiccup knew he was.

"Don't worry Valentine, I'll tell her you said hi." Hiccup teased before turning around to enter one the transports in which his troops have already been shipping in. "Try to stay alive Valentine." He shot back before walking up the boarding ramp with Toothless.

"No promises!" Valentine shouted back.

Half an hour later the four giant transports carrying the third legion took off and started heading towards the Draconian capitol. Leaving the frontline far behind them.

 **And that's it, chapter 3 has been finished. From now on Updates might come a little slower as the last three were more or less written before the first and second were published. And now a little trivia.**

 **Most of the draconian armour was inspired by the clone trooper armours from star wars. The third legion was inspired by the 41** **st** **elite corps kashyyyk troopers. They look almost exactly the same and the fourth legion was inspired by the 327** **th** **sky corps.**

 **A kama is also from star wars which is the protective skirt around the legs. The pauldron is a coloured piece of padded armour worn above the shoulder. Look in up if you don't know what it is.**

 **The Norn were an idea from a friend of mine when I asked him I needed an enemy. He suggested the Norn from guildwars. I never played it myself and know nothing of the lore. So don't shoot me if I get anything wrong. Also they have a stature of a normal Viking. They are not h-the 7ft tall giant I've heard about.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoyed it, I do not own HTTYD, Star Wars or Guildwars. Review are gracefully accepted because I want to hear ideas and opinions. I've been , dismissed.**


	4. Chapter 4: a mission you say?

**It has been finished. Hiccup continues his journey to the capitol and hears of a special mission. As for the people who are wondering when Berk is coming into the spotlight, be patient we're getting there.**

 **Chapter 4: A mission you say?**

 **Garden balcony on the Imperial palace, Capitol city, evening, 266 ADF**

It was a warm sunny evening in the capitol and Hiccup was leaning on the balcony silently staring over the great city. They arrived at the outskirts of the city about an hour ago and shipped out with the rest of the third legion. Just like his troopers who went home to their family he did the same, and since he was raised by the royal family he considered the palace to be his home. He hadn't seen his adoptive parents or sister yet since they were either in a meeting or of working. So he went to the place he could be most easily at peace. Well, the second place he could as he was too exhausted to go to the workshops.

He occasionally looked back over his shoulder to see Toothless laying on the grass next to a small pond. And see the resident ducks and their ducklings roaming all around and over him, some were even sitting on his head. A few years ago he would have found this annoying but nowadays he didn't bother, you could even say he was quite fond of the little ones and he allowed them to snuggle close for warmth.

Hiccup chuckled at the sight and left his place at the balcony and made his way to Toothless and the pond. He settled himself down against the trunk of a nearby tree, making himself comfortable. He then removed a small book from Toothless's various packs laying nearby as they were removed when the two arrived. The small book was his current diary/sketchbook, in these books he wrote down his experiences, made blueprints for inventions or made just sketches from the scenery. Either by eye or from memory. And now he was making lazy sketch of Toothless covered in ducklings, just to kill some time.

"I don't know what's more peaceful, Toothless being covered with ducks or my son drawing that very scene?" A voice suddenly spoke on Hiccups left making him and Toothless both look up. The latter surprising the snuggling ducks on his head. Hiccup however smiled at the man who said those words. Emperor Dytaldir, his adoptive father.

Hiccup snapped his book shut, jumped up and walked to his father. "Good to see you again dad." He said whilst hugging Dytaldir. He had been a kind and nurturing father to him, giving him as much chances to succeed as he needed. And because of this Hiccup considered the man a role model.

"Where's mom and Mae? I haven't seen them yet." Hiccup asked.

"Your mother is underway and your sister, she's working in the nearby city infirmary. She wanted to do her part just like you son." His father explained.

Hiccup smiled at this. He knew his adoptive sister always wanted to do more for her people then just diplomatic missions and being the royal heir. She couldn't follow him to the front for this reason but she still wanted to do something. So she studied up medicine and went working as a doctor in one of the capitol's infirmary's.

"Then I'll go see her when she's done working." Hiccup said.

Just then another person came walking up to him. Well, more like running up to him.

The person that almost barrelled into him and squished him to death was Yelena, the current empress of Draconia and his adoptive mother.

"Ohh I'm so glad your back and all right." She exclaimed earning a chuckle from her husband.

"Come on honey, you know he can handle himself. He proved that three years ago remember." Dytaldir laughed.

"Oh don't remind me of that day, I was terrified when he left for that." The empress exclaimed.

Hiccup chuckled at his parents antics, in truth he knew very well what they were talking about. After all it was one of the most dangerous things he ever did.

"Now son, we have something to tell you." Dytaldir said gaining Hiccup's attention. "I fear I may have to cut your shore leave short."

"Hmm, the entire third legion or mine alone?" Hiccup asked bracing himself for his troops reaction when it would be all of them.

"No son I know how much you care for the wellbeing of your soldiers, this mission is for you alone." The emperor said to which Hiccup visibly relaxed.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" A relieved Hiccup asked.

"Follow me son."

 **Military planning room, imperial palace, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup was led into one of the many planning rooms in the palace by his adoptive parents. In the middle of the room was a big, circular table with a large map printed on the table top with precise accuracy.

"I believe you are familiar with the Barbaric archipelago son?"Dytaldir asked.

"I was there on that mission three years ago yes. Please don't tell me there's another one. One queen was bad enough." Hiccup deadpanned. He really didn't want a repeat of the events of three years ago.

"Don't worry son, it's nothing like that at all." His mother chimed in to ease his nerves.

"We have been hearing concerning rumours. Currently the archipelago is politically neutral towards us and they leave us be. This is due to an alliance of peaceful tribes keeping the more aggressive in check. Who would jump at the chance to attack us since news of our empire is able to reach them since the end of their 'dragon war'." The emperor explained.

"However something is threatening that balance I presume?" Hiccup thought out loud.

"Yes, one of the leading peaceful tribes is threatening to split apart in a power struggle. This could lead in a shift in the political climate of the archipelago leaving the road open for a Viking invasion. And you know how bad a war on two fronts would be for us." Dytaldir continued.

"And you want me to go there and make sure this never happens?" Hiccup asked whilst observing the Viking archipelago portion of the giant map carefully.

"That's correct son. We want you to find out what's causing this power struggle and if possible resolve it covertly. Find out who the different factions are and push them in the right direction." Dytaldir finished.

"It shall be done. Two questions: where do I go and when do I leave?" Hiccup said looking up from the map.

"The island you'll be going to is situated here and is named Berk." The emperor answered whilst pointing to a large island in the middle north of the archipelago. "It's home to the Hairy Hooligans tribe under the lead of Chief Stoick the Vast. That's all we know about them. As for your departure you'll be leaving in two days by boat. You can take Toothless but you'll need to hide him from the Vikings. Their war may be over but they still don't take kindly to dragons, certainly not yours."

"Alright then, I'll have two days to prepare and say my goodbye's." Hiccup concluded.

"Thank you for doing this son, you're doing the empire a great service. Now go, your sister should be about done with work." The empress said whilst shooing him out the door.

"Alright alright mom, I'll see you guys at dinner!" Hiccup shouted back whilst shooting through the door into the hallways with Toothless running after him with his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

If he only had two days here he was going to make the most of them.

 **(two days later)**

 **Capitol docks, morning, 266 ADF**

A small sailing ship was prepared with all the necessities of a normal traveller. They had blank, grey sails and showed no affiliation to the Draconian empire as part of Hiccup's disguise. He wasn't wearing his armour anymore as it was safely tucked away in one of Toothless saddlebags stored in the boat.

Hiccup was now wearing a brown/green fur and leather outfit with a tunic in order to blend in with a Viking society. He did have a cloak, hood and cloth facemask to hide his identity. One could never be too careful.

He was joined on the docks by his mother and sister who came to see him of. His father couldn't be present because of his duties and had been apologising for it to Hiccup for hours the last night. Luckily Hiccup understood and spend the last evening talking with his adoptive Father about everything under the sun. they said their goodbye's then.

"Now be careful little brother." His sister Mae said to him. "It would be a waste if you could survive a queen dragon only to die by a bunch of Vikings."

"Love the confidence here sister." Hiccup chuckled before he enveloped his sister in a hug. One she gladly returned.

"Just come back in one piece okay?" Mae said.

"I will, see you soon" Hiccup said releasing his sister and walked over to his mother.

"See you in a few weeks mom." Hiccup said whilst giving his mother also a hug.

"I'll be back before you know it." Hiccup reassured.

He then proceeded to untie the boat and hopped on board, setting off onto his journey to the barbaric archipelago. As he sailed out of the harbour he looked back to his mother and sister, who were still standing on the docks waving him goodbye.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." He whispered to himself.

Toothless came up to him and crooned to his friend. Hiccup stroked Toothless's head in response.

"Let's go on an adventure Toothless. Who knows maybe we find someone new. Or someone from the past…" he said whilst staring at the horizon. Sailing towards a strange place with strange people.

A man on a mission.

 **And that would be chapter 4. It took some time and I know the end might be a little bad. My inspiration left me for a little bit whilst writing it. Chapter 5 is in progress and we then we will finally see Berk return into the plot.**

 **I will try to make the next chapter longer. I'm still learning the trade of writing.**

 **Once again thank you for reading and feel free to review as I can only use this to make the story better. So any suggestions or points of criticism are welcome.**

 **I've been , dismissed.**


	5. Chapter 5: This is Berk

**Great another chapter, Wahoo! I have way too much free time. Anyway Hiccup arrives on Berk now and has some nasty and less nasty run-ins with the locals. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 5: This is Berk**

 **(2 weeks later)**

 **Berk, morning, 266 ADF**

Astrid Hofferson woke up at the same time like she does every morning. The eighteen years old shield-maiden quickly got dressed, strapped on her shoulder-guards, strapped her signature battle axe on her back and made sure her hair was braided in her signature braid behind her shoulder. She wore a blue tunic over a spiked, leather skirt and fur boots. Her shoulder-guards were linked over her chest with a leather band and metal ring. She also had a leather headband in her hair, keeping it from covering her eyes.

She stepped outside her house and made her way towards the great-hall for breakfast. It was a bright sunny day, nothing could ruin her good mood.

Except one thing…

"Hey there babe." Snotlout Jorgenson's voice tore through her mood instantly turning it sour. "Slept well? Dreamt of me?" He tried to flirt whilst flashing his arm muscles.

He was violently interrupted by the flat of Astrid's axe head being smashed in his face.

"Beat it Snotlout, that's never going to happen! Ever!" She shouted angrily while he was still holding his face in pain. She huffed before turning around and heading towards the great-hall with a ruined mood. Leaving Snotlout on the ground.

"Don't worry babe one day you'll be mine." Snotlout said to himself before standing up and following her in her path.

Once inside the great-hall Astrid quickly got her breakfast and made her way to the teen's regular table. She was joined by Fishlegs Ingerman, the twins Tuffnut and Ruffnut Thorston and to her annoyance Snotlout Jorgenson.

"So I heard trader Johann will be arriving today, anyone looking for anything in particular?" Fishlegs asked no one in particular.

"No not really, I'm just going to look if he has anything interesting." Astrid replied.

"I' hope he has some new weapons!" Tuffnut chimed in. "Yeah, some really destructive ones!" Ruffnut added.

The twins were always looking for more ways to cause chaos. It seemed the occasional yak-tipping wasn't enough for the teenage twins who devoted their life to Loki, the god of mischief.

Astrid signed mentally. The twins were never going to change and Snotlout wasn't any better. During the dragon raids they could at least focus on their tasks but that was three years ago. Three years ago the raids abruptly stopped and no one understood why.

But that didn't mean there wasn't any less destruction. Mainly caused by the chief's young daughter.

They all knew the story of the first heir's death. The night he was taken away by a dragon. She knew he would have been their age, sometimes she thought about what might have been if he lived. She heard that the chief's younger daughter was like a mirror image of him, but that was when they were new-born. Who knows maybe might have been very different from her.

She was awoken from her line of thought when the blacksmith known as Gobber barged in the hall.

"Trader Johann is here!" He loudly proclaimed and immediately afterwards he bolted back out of the door towards the docks. Followed by multiple Vikings who wanted to go take a look at Johann's wares.

Astrid decided to go to the docks as well. She was curious of what Johann has brought around this time.

"Alright guys time to go then." She said to the rest of the teens who followed almost immediately. Equally curious of all the items for sale.

The group of teens made their way towards the docks where Johann had already begun selling his items to the Vikings who were present. There was a bit of a waiting queue so they had to be patient. Fishlegs was muttering to himself about all the new books Johann might have for sale, the twins were head-butting, Snotlout was trying to hit on Astrid with little success and Astrid was ignoring Snotlout and swinging her axe around.

When it was finally their turn Fishlegs almost immediately attacked trader Johann with questions whilst the rest of them were staring around the goods absentminded.

"Johann! Have you got anything new for me?" Fishlegs asked excited in the prospect of new books.

"Yes master Fishlegs of course, I just returned from traders-island with some new and exciting books." Johann said with his usual traders cheer.

"It reminds me of my recent trip to a nation far south, a…" Johann began but was interrupted by chief Stoick's booming voice.

"Keep your stories for dinner Johann!" He chuckled knowing that when Johann started talking he never stopped.

"Very well Stoick. So what can I do for you today?" Johann said whilst pointing Fishlegs towards his collection of books.

"I'm just looking around Johann, carry on." Stoick said to the energetic trader.

The chief had changed over the years, his once proud red beard sported more than a few grey hairs and there were significantly more wrinkles in his face. All signs of old age and parenting.

Just then a girl looking about fourteen years old cautiously approached the trader's ship. Hoping not to be spotted by the rest of the villagers to avoid their scowls. She was used to it as she had gotten them throughout her entire life. To them she was nothing more than Stoick's little disappointment.

"Excuse me sir?" She said to Johann quietly. "Do you have anything for me?"

"But of course lady Hicca, one moment." Johann said to her before opening several chests in search of some specific objects. "Ah, here you go. New sketchbooks and some squid-ink."

"Thank you Johann." She thanked him whilst paying him with some silver and making her way back to the village trying to be unseen.

'The things that girl has to go through' Johann thought to himself.

Just then one of the guard posts shouted out. "Ship approaching!"

Astrid, Stoick and some of the villagers looked up to see a single ship heading towards them. The ship bore no crest on its sails and looked too small to be a trader.

"Hmmm, likely just a traveller." Stoick said before turning his attention back to the trader's items.

Astrid looked at the ship for a couple more moments before doing the same.

But in all this activity none of the Viking nor the trader noticed the jet-black blur flying over the village in direction of the forest.

 **(An hour earlier)**

 **Waters several kilometres out of Berk, morning, 266 ADF**

They had been sailing for three weeks straight. Nothing really happened during the trip and Hiccup killed most of his time with drawing, writing and attempting to catch a fish without Toothless's help. Of course he failed miserably.

They were now having their last meal at sea, curtesy of Toothless who was rather smug about Hiccup's inability to catch a fish. He could hold his own on a battlefield but couldn't catch a fish.

"Haha Toothless, I get it I can't fish, you can! Now wipe that smirk of your face, you're annoying me." Hiccup half laughing half serious said to his friend.

Toothless answered him by whacking the back of Hiccup's head with his tail, earning a grunt from his human friend.

"Useless reptile." Hiccup murmured earning a toothless smile from the offending dragon.

They finished their meal silently whilst taking small pot-shots at each other. It was wat they did to kill the time besides flying. But they were too close to their destination and they couldn't be seen.

Once their meal was finished Hiccup proceeded to attach his various saddle-bags to Toothless's saddle. The bags contained his more sensitive equipment and his Draconian armour. The only weapons he had on him was his collapsible sword and a knife in his boot. Toothless would take the rest with him to hide in the island's forests.

"Alright that should be the last pack. You know the plan Toothless, you find yourself a good spot in the forest to hide and wait until I find you tonight. Understood?" Hiccup asked whilst strapping the last pack on Toothless's back.

Toothless nodded his head in affirmative.

"Ok then, see you tonight. Of you go now." Hiccup said onto which Toothless shot high into the sky with a powerful flap of his wings. High enough not to be noticed by any Viking guards.

"Alright here goes nothing." He said whilst putting his hood and facecloth back on effectively hiding his identity from everyone. Dressed in his brown/green fur and leather outfit with a tunic he looked like any other traveller who would roam around in these regions.

"Hello there sailor, welcome to Berk!" one of the Vikings on the docks shouted to him when he arrive about an hour and a half after Toothless flew off. He was spotted by Berk's watch posts about half an hour after that so no one suspected a thing.

"Morning." He greeted back.

Hiccup proceeded to ty up his boat with the help of the Viking dockhand and proceeded to grab his duffel bag with his remaining stuff. He made sure there was nothing left on the ship in the event of a rapid escape. Nothing that could lead back to the Empire. The boat itself was bought of some Vikings so that wouldn't help them either. He got what he needed and stepped of the boat onto the docks.

"So what brings you here, traveller?" The Viking who helped him asked.

"I'm travelling around exploring different islands and making maps." Hiccup expertly lied to the Viking.

"Interesting. So before I can let you though I need a name to know whose boat this is." The Viking continued not really interested in the reason this stranger was here.

"My name is Ryder." Hiccup lied again. There was no reason for them to know his real name.

"Okay then, welcome to Berk." The Viking said not really paying attention to the man in front of him.

Hiccup thanked the man briefly before making his way towards the village. But then the Viking did look at him briefly now noticing his strange gear and outfit. The strangest thing he thought was the sword-hilt with an extremely short blade mounted on the back of his hips. Like it was only half as long as it should be.

'That is a very strange sword?' The Viking thought. But the Hiccup was already far away before he could ask about it.

Meanwhile Hiccup was walking through the village looking for a place to stay. He couldn't stay with Toothless in the forest as that would raise suspicion. He looked around and saw many different buildings. Most were houses or storage barns, probably for food. He also saw one particular building he knew very well back home, although this one was smaller. A forge.

He took a step closer to take a look inside, the building sparked his curiosity. He walked a few meters before he heard something unusual for a normal village and stopped in his tracks. The sounds were coming from behind the forge and it sounded like someone in distress. There was no-one around and the forge was abandoned as well. Hiccup decided to go take a look.

When he rounded the corner of the forge he was met with a sight which he utterly despised. A young girl getting bullied by some older teens who looked to be his age.

"Come on useless, stand up we're not done for today." A stocky dark haired boy who was about as high as his shoulder spat at the auburn haired girl who was sprawled on the ground and kept in place by two nearly identical teens. Except for the fact that one was male and the other female.

'Probably twins.' Hiccup thought while he approached silently.

"Snotlout please, just leave me alone." The girl whimpered.

"Then you shouldn't be so pathetic Hicca, you'll never be a real Viking I you do!" The boy now known as Snotlout laughed. The twins laughed with him as well.

At this moment Hiccup had had enough. He dropped his duffel bag from his back and stepped forward grabbing Snotlout's shoulder and pulled him backward spinning him around.

"Hey! Pick on someone your own age knucklehead!" Hiccup snarled at Snotlout with a voice that was further deepened by his facemask. At first Snotlout was surprised by the intervention but his expression quickly changed to annoyance.

"Mind your own business stranger, you can't tell me what to do!" Snotlout shot back. "She deserves it, she has to learn to be a Viking and not so useless."

That comment did it for Hiccup. Before Snotlout could even utter another word he was met with a punch right in his face. A hard one that send him stumbling a few metres back before he lost his balance and fell on the ground.

The twins wanted to come to Snotlout's help and tried to rush Hiccup but he was prepared for that. He actually counted on them attacking him.

When the twins came up to him he whirled around and grabbed them both on the back of their heads. Before they even realised what was happening Hiccup smashed their heads together a little harder than when they purposely did this. Result: it hurt a lot.

Afterwards all three of them were sprawled on the ground in a disorganised pile of pain. Their groans betrayed that they had been hit hard. Both physically and in Snotlout's case also in pride.

"Now get the hell out of here!" Hiccup ordered in a low voice. Snotlout was about to protest but was cut off by Hiccup shouting in his face. "MOVE!"

The twins scrambled on their feet and dragged Snotlout with them to make a hasty retreat. Hiccup, satisfied with himself turned back around towards the bullied girl who was starting to get up and saw everything. She whimpered slightly when he came closer.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." Hiccup said while extending his hand, offering his help to her.

Hicca hesitantly took his hand and got up. "Why would you help me?" She asked the stranger in front of her.

"Because I can't stand someone getting bullied for who they are. It's not right." Hiccup said whilst guiding her to a nearby log to sit down.

"Do I have your permission to check for any wounds miss?" Hiccup asked when Hicca was seated.

"Uhh, sure I guess." Hicca answered surprised that this stranger was so helpful. Only her mother and maybe Gobber and Gothi cared so much for her.

Hiccup quickly stood up and got his duffel bag which he dropped moments earlier. He then sat back down next to Hicca and proceeded checking her for any injuries.

"Your injuries seem to be very minor. Only a slight bruise on your cheek." Hiccup concluded after a quick check-up. "Should be gone within a day or two."

"Thank you sir." Hicca said to him.

"Hicca, if you don't mind me asking. Why were those kids doing all those thing to you?" Hiccup asked with worry lacing his voice.

Hicca then hesitantly told him that the entire village except her mother thought of her as useless. She told him that she couldn't do anything right no matter how hard she tried. She thought of herself as a failure.

These words stung Hiccup deep. One of the few things he knew about Viking society was that a tribe was like family. What he just heard was obviously not family behaviour.

"And no one besides your mother tries to stop them?" Hiccup asked taken aback of the whole situation.

"No, the villagers don't care. They see Snotlout as a better heir than me. The twins follow his every move and Fishlegs is too afraid to do anything. Then there is Astrid, she doesn't bully me or anything like that but she also does nothing to stop it. I guess she thinks of me just like the rest of the village.

Hiccup understood what was happening here. The girl had been shunned for her entire life and in return had a very poor self-esteem. Now he was going to do something about that.

"Listen Hicca, it doesn't matter what the village thinks of you. They can't decide what you have to be or have to do. The only thing that matters is what you think and believe. In the end you will have to make your own decisions. Only you know what's best for yourself." Hiccup said to her trying to encourage her to keep going and never give up. It was a basic philosophy in the Draconian military.

"Really? You think so?" Hicca asked hopeful.

"I don't think that. I know it to be true." Hiccup encouraged.

Hicca pondered on these words for a moment before smiling. "Thank you sir, for everything."

"My pleasure miss Haddock. Oh before I forget do you know where I can stay the night for a while?" Hiccup asked whilst getting up from the log they had been sitting on for the past fifteen minutes.

"Ah yes, there's an inn on the other side of town. That way, you can't miss it." She said while pointing to the other side of the village. "I'd take you there but I need to go to work."

"That won't be necessary, thank you." Hiccup said before starting to walk away.

"Hey, dinner is in the great Hall. And I never got your name!" Hicca shouted after him.

"The name's Ryder." He shouted back and he continued his way whilst Hicca stepped inside the forge.

Neither of them saw Astrid against the wall of a nearby building with tears pricking in her eyes. She had heard everything Hicca and Ryder said and felt ashamed because she did indeed never help. She also couldn't help but wonder what was so special about this traveller.

 **(Several hours later)**

 **Great hall of Berk, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup used the last few hours to get himself settled in the village inn. A cosy place with small rooms that wasn't too expensive. He also used this time to go over his mission details. Until it started to become gloomy and he had developed a little hunger. He decided to follow Hicca's advice and go to the great hall.

Inside the great hall Astrid was seated on their usual table with the rest of the teens. Snotlout was still scowling over the beating he had received from the man they now knew as Ryder. Astrid actually began to like the guy. He was a person with a feeling of honour and he punched Snotlout right in the face, she could respect that.

"If I ever get my hands on that Ryder guy I'm going to snap his neck." Snotlout scowled.

Astrid chuckled at this. "Yeah like you could even get close enough without dying."

"He got the drop on me the last time, that won't happen again." Snotlout seethed.

At that moment Hiccup entered the great hall and started to look around for a seat. When he found one he started to walk in the direction of the teens.

"Uh guys, he's coming towards us." Fishlegs squeaked. After he heard what happened from Astrid he was a little bit scared of the mysterious traveller.

"Good let him come." Snotlout said.

Astrid only watched with interest. This man had something about him she couldn't quite place.

They were all very surprised when he blatantly ignored them and continued his path towards a table with only one occupant.

Hicca.

"Mind if I sit here?" Hiccup asked startling her.

"Whoa, um sure. Be my guest." Hicca answered. In truth she was happy he joined her.

Hiccup set down his plate and sat down. He removed the mask in front of his mouth but kept his hood up. Concealing his face so he couldn't be recognised.

They both ate silently. Hicca didn't ask any questions, she was just happy someone was willing to sit with her.

"Why is he sitting with useless? Doesn't he know she's bad luck?" Snotlout questioned the rest of the gang.

"Or maybe he just doesn't care." Astrid answered. Truthfully she was just as curious for the answer, and she was going to find out why he was so special. "See you later guys." She said while picking up her tray and making her way towards the table with Hicca and Ryder.

The rest of the gang just sat there with their mouth agar. Astrid just abandoned them for Hicca and that traveller. Snotlout was fuming but kept quiet. He couldn't go against Astrid and he knew it.

"Can I sit here?" Astrid asked the two other occupants of the table. Hicca was taken aback while Hiccup just nodded, his eyes never leaving his food.

When Astrid was seated she discreetly took a good look at the traveller. She couldn't see a lot but from what she could see she could make out a few things. He was tanned and had a small scar on his chin. But his eyes, they were mesmerising. Deep emerald green colour that seemed to be familiar.

Hiccup then abruptly stopped eating and looked her straight in her eyes. His eyes spoke experience, compassion and danger. This man was intimidating.

"Why are you here Miss Hofferson?" He suddenly asked.

"I, um, uhh…" She stuttered. "I wanted to come sit here."

"Why?" He asked again.

"Uhh…" She tried again but she was too intimidated. And to think she had never been intimidated, it was always the other way around.

"Ryder that's enough." Hicca suddenly spoke. "She can sit here if she likes."

"No Hicca wait." Astrid spoke. "I want to apologise. For everything I did."

"Why you never did anything to me?" Hicca asked surprised. Hiccup remained silent and listened.

"But like you said, I never helped you either." Astrid answered but then quickly covered her mouth. She just admitted eavesdropping their conversation.

"It seems someone was listening." Hiccup said whilst making a mental note to be more careful.

"You are forgiven Astrid." Hicca continued. "If we can be friends."

"I can do that." She answered with a smile.

For the rest of the evening the three talked about various things. Hiccup wisely kept his mouth shut for most of the time not giving any details about his identity. Instead listening for any clues regarding his mission. And silently admiring Astrid, he had to admit she was beautiful. Maybe something to think about in the future.

As the evening went on Hiccup excused himself from the table and exited the great hall. When outside he looked around to see nobody followed him and then darted into the forest. He had his best friend to visit.

 **Damn, that was a long one. So there you go Hiccup has arrived on Berk and no-one knows who he truly is yet. The following chapters will expand on his stay there and everything that might or might not happen. As for Hicca I presumed with Valka still on Berk in this timeline a second child isn't so strange. Especially with the presumed death of the first child. Hicca will play a role in the story plot but the rest of that information are spoilers.**

 **I was very pleased with all the reviews I received so thank you all who took the time to do that.**

 **assasins death: It's an interesting idea but it doesn't really fit in the plot. Maybe an idea for a one-shot collection after the story's been finished.**

 **krisisk369: First of all it needs to be a covert operation so a group of 10 to 20 strangers is going to raise some flags. Secondly he isn't really alone he has some back up but that will be elaborated later in the story.**

 **TheKingOfAll: yes, the parent's priceless reaction. Unfortunately you'll have to wait a little while for that. Hiccup won't be revealed for some time.**

 **Anyway I've been**

 **Dismissed**


	6. Chapter 6: New friends, secret meetings

**Here we are again. One of the more difficult chapters to write. Hope you enjoy. Note that this will be the last chapter in about a month. I'm not abandoning the story no, I've got exams coming up. Anyway enjoy.**

 **Chapter 6: New friendship's and secret meetings**

 **Forests behind Berk, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup ran cautiously through the forests in order not to raise any suspicion. He had been very careful when leaving the great-hall so no-one saw him running towards the forest. Breaking his cover so soon would be a very bad idea.

When he was far enough into the forest he released a quiet but shrill whistle. The kind of sound a night fury emitted during flight, specifically when dive-bombing. The whistle spread through the forest and when Hiccup ceased the sound he stood unmoving and waited.

He had long since perfected his night fury call and frequently used it to communicate whit his best friend over long distances. This was due to the fact that when executed in certain ways the sound could carry for several kilometres, but only when amplified by his helmet.

Fairly quickly Hiccup got a response not too far away. He went in the sounds direction and quickly found a secluded cove with only one entrance in-between a couple of large boulders. He made his way down and found his best friend and companion sitting patiently under an overgrown tree on the far side of the cove. All his equipment and saddle-bags still attached to him.

"Nice place. Good choice Toothless." Hiccup said while observing the cove. It was quiet and untouched. It wouldn't surprise him if the Vikings of this island haven't ever set foot here. And that would be a good thing. This way Toothless and all of his equipment would be safe from any marauding Viking who roamed this island.

Toothless crooned in a reply and began wiggling his body as if trying to say: 'relieve me of these blasted bags!'

"Alright alright, I'm on it. Just stand still for a moment." Hiccup said whilst untying the bags.

The second he was finished Toothless all but shot away right into the small lake on the far side of the cove. Immediately submerging underneath the water.

"Well looks like someone is hungry." Hiccup chuckled when Toothless re-emerged with his mouth filled with fish.

Seeing that Toothless was satisfied Hiccup now tended to his equipment and stored all of it safely in a nearby cave. Ready for use if ever necessary.

"Alright that should be it. Toothless?" Hiccup said after he put all his stuff away. The scaled reptile meanwhile looked up to him. "Make sure to be ready when I call you."

Toothless responded by giving Hiccup a big lick in his face.

"Eww.. Toothless you know that doesn't wash out!" Hiccup shouted whilst trying to hide his laughter.

"Alright, I need to get back. See you soon bud." Hiccup said.

Toothless nodded to his rider and proceeded to curl up near Hiccups equipment whilst staying out of sight.

Hiccup smiled, he could always count on Toothless's loyalty. With that thought he left the cove and made his way back to the village.

 **(The next morning)**

 **Berk, afternoon, 266 ADF**

"Aarghh!" a shout was heard along the edge of the forest.

"I can't believe that knucklehead! Why does he even keep trying! Or does he just want to make my life a living hell!" Astrid scowled whilst she hurtled her axe towards an already mutilated tree.

This had been a repeating pattern for the entire afternoon. Astrid was livid, and she had a good reason to be.

Snotlout had once again chosen to enact her wrath by calling her 'babe'. Only this time he played the marriage contract card. Astrid knew her parents would never agree to a contract from the Jorgensons she couldn't help but get mad at him. Which resulted in a punch in the face for Snotlout and a lot of dead trees for Astrid.

She retrieved her axe and almost immediately threw it at another tree blindly. She turned around just in time to see there was not only a tree in the path of her flying axe.

Hiccup was walking along the treeline not really paying attention during his afternoon walk when he picked up the sound of a weapon whizzing through the air. He looked up to see a Viking battle-axe flying straight at his face.

Thinking quickly he turned his head and upper body backwards to the left in order to avoid the flying weapon of splitting his face. The axe missed him and buried himself into the bark of a tree about two meters behind him.

"Whoa…" he exclaimed after observing the offending weapon where after he turned to find the weapon's owner. He was met with the sight of a slack-jawed blonde girl whom he had met the evening before.

"Is that one yours?" He asked the still bewildered girl with a calm voice.

"How did you do that?" Astrid finally said when she was over her initial shock.

"Did what?" Hiccup responded while pulling the axe out of the tree and giving it an experimental twirl. "Nice axe by the way."

"Uh thanks, but how did you dodge that? I thought for sure you would die." Astrid asked whilst looking at how he spun her axe in both hands like it was nothing.

"Oh, I just heard it coming." He replied nonchalantly.

"You heard it coming?!" Astrid exclaimed. She really underestimated this guy, who knows what he might be able to do.

"Yeah, look here is your axe back. Have a nice day." Hiccup said when he gave Astrid her axe back.

Astrid was taken aback. Just a minute ago she almost beheaded this guy and he didn't look even fazed. Then again you couldn't really see his face because he covered it but still.

"H...Hey where are you going?" She asked, scowling at herself for stuttering. 'What am I doing, Astrid Hofferson doesn't stutter!' She thought to herself.

"I'm taking a walk around the island, taking in the sights." Hiccup said. "Care to join me Miss Astrid?"

"Uh… Sure, I'll show you around." She answered. 'Maybe I'll learn something more about him.' She thought.

And so both set off on a walk around the village.

"You seemed a bit angry back there. May I ask what is bothering you?" Hiccup asked.

"It's nothing, just some people who are getting on my nerves." Astrid responded quickly.

"Alright, I understand. It's not my place to pry for your personal business." Hiccup said.

Astrid could admire this. A person who rather listens and doesn't on other people's personal lives. But she still wanted to know more about this mysterious Ryder.

"I've been wanting to ask you some questions actually." Astrid continued. "Are you ok with answering them?"

"That depends on what you're asking." Hiccup said with a smirk.

Now Astrid was getting amused. This guy had no light sense of sarcastic humour.

"Alright then, first of all I wanted to ask who you are and where you came from." Astrid began.

Hiccup then stopped and turned around facing her. They had now arrived on a small hill overlooking the village. Hiccup thought it was a nice view.

"What, is this an interrogation or something?" Hiccup laughed.

"Answer the question Ryder, and I'll make sure I won't use any violent interrogation methods." Astrid answered deciding to play along in the sarcasm game.

"Very well then." Hiccup said and he sat down on the grassy hill overlooking the village. Astrid followed his lead but kept a respectable distance.

'Can't have the village thinking the wrong things.' She thought.

"As you know my name is Ryder and I'm a traveller and a map maker from a land down south." He began.

"I noticed, you have a foreign accent and some outlandish clothes." Astrid cut in. She had also noticed the strange sword on the back of his hips but chose to remain silent.

"Indeed." He confirmed while pulling a small but thick sketchbook out of his belt and put it down in front of him.

The brown leather bound book was his mapping book. A collection of all the maps he made during his many travels and battles throughout the years. Of course the Vikings didn't need to know about the battles part nor that this was just a past time. They needed to believe this was his job.

Astrid looked at the small brown book. On first sight it looked like a notebook but the pages looked like they were folded. There was also an insignia on the front she didn't recognise, but it looked like some kind of four-winged dragon.

Hiccup then proceeded to open the little book and unfold the largest map he had. The one he would be working on. From the corner of his eye he could see Astrid's jaw drop in astonishment. He smirked for he had made an impression.

Astrid could only stare at the gigantic map that was unfolded before her. She looked over it and she could recognise something that looked like a part of the archipelago on the top northern part of the map. It was however small compared to the rest of it. The paper was filled with detailed drawings of multiple island groups and even entire continents that made her small island look like nothing. Sure she had seen the Viking maps of the archipelago but to this they were insignificant. In a way she suddenly felt really small.

"Quite a sight isn't it. I've been working on this for years." Hiccup said proudly.

Astrid eyes wandered over the parchment until her eyes caught something. There in the middle of the map on the continent south of the archipelago she found the insignia that was present on his book. She then looked at Hiccup and pointed to it.

"Here, that insignia, is that where you came from?" She asked.

Hiccup chuckled a bit. "Quite perceptive of you. I presume you recognise it from the front of the book?" Astrid nodded. "That is indeed where I got the book and started my journey."

"And where is that?" She asked. Curiosity had taken full control over her. She just kept getting more questions and questions. An interesting guy indeed.

"The continent is actually spanned by one nation. You've likely never heard about it, but it's called the Draconian Empire. That insignia is its crest." Hiccup said.

"No, can't say I've ever heard about it." She said.

Hiccup mentally signed in relieve, if she didn't know she couldn't be hostile to them. "It doesn't surprise me you don't." He continued. "We mostly keep to ourselves and have only recently started travelling inside the archipelago. It isn't strange news hasn't reached here yet."

"Seems likely." Astrid concluded.

Hiccup continued making a first sketched version of Berk for his map while Astrid just watched. She was mesmerised by his talent. He was even better then Bucket. She also noticed that he was left-handed.

"Do you always draw with your left hand?" She asked.

"Most of the time, I can use both hands but my left one is dominant." Hiccup replied.

"Huh… just like Hicca then. I'm wondering why you stood up for her yesterday?" Astrid asked before she realised what she said.

"Because it was the right thing to do. Bullying should never be socially accepted. But one should consider not helping even more disgraceful where I come from." Hiccup answered while looking at Astrid.

Astrid hung her head a bit. She knew he was right, he prove that the day before. She never helped because she was too scared for her reputation as a shield-maiden.

"But acknowledging your mistake and acting upon it is a sign of bravery." Hiccup continued when he saw her expression. He then placed a comforting hand on her left shoulder.

Astrid flinched for a moment but she made no attempt to remove the hand. She knew now that this guy had no bad intentions.

"Thank you." She finally said.

"My pleasure miss Astrid." Hiccup replied.

"Please, call me just Astrid." She requested. "There's no need to be so formal." She chuckled.

"Very well Astrid." Hiccup said.

"Say, Ryder? Why do you cover your face all the time?" Astrid suddenly asked.

Hiccup's eyes widened. This was one of the dreaded questions. Although he wasn't much known in the archipelago his face was still famous in the empire and he couldn't be compromised so soon in his mission.

But then he decided to risk it. "I don't like too much attention, the hood helps me stick to the shadows." He lied. "But I can take it off here I you'd like?"

"Sure, I've been trying to imagine what you look like for some time." Astrid replied.

"Well, hope I don't disappoint." Hiccup laughed. He then removed his face cloth and pulled back his hood.

Astrid was a little bit surprised when she saw what he looked like. She imagined him to look more exotic but he looked like he could really blend in in the archipelago. Though there was something familiar about him but she couldn't place it.

"By the look on your face I see I don't disappoint." Hiccup said with a lob-sided grin.

"No I just, imagined you different." Astrid answered.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Hiccup laughed.

They kept chatting for the remainder of the afternoon and learned a lot about each other. Although Hiccup was very careful not to give too many details about himself. He was enjoying the company for a change but he still had a job to do. And although it pained him to, he couldn't be distracted.

Astrid told about her dreams of being a shield-maiden and general life on Berk. She also told him about the more important villagers and the more annoying ones. Hiccup took all of this in carefully. In turn he told he was from a small family on the coast of Draconia and had been travelling for most of his life. He wisely left out the details of the war and when Astrid told him about the kill-ring and dragon training he kept silent of his loyalty's to the winged reptiles. Mentally he winced at the gruesome story of Astrid's final exam in dragon training and how she killed the monstrous nightmare. Luckily this was her only kill as she said the raids stopped abruptly not long after the final exam.

Hiccup mentally shuddered at this because he knew why the raids suddenly stopped. That battle still gave him nightmares sometimes. But he knew that behemoth had to die. For the good of the world.

It was not until the evening came around that they both separated for dinner and other duties. But not after Hiccup had promised Astrid to do a small sparring match. She really was obsessed with fighting.

 **Berk village centre, late evening, 266 ADF**

Dinner had been uneventful. The only thing that happened was when the chief and his wife approached him and asked him a few questions about his stay on Berk. Hiccup gave him the mapmaker cover story and it seemed to satisfy both of them. He did show Valka a small portion of his maps because she was curious but otherwise no questions were asked.

Now he was walking through the village silently and sticking to the shadows. He wanted to see if he could find anything that would help him on his mission. And he would be lucky tonight.

Suddenly he heard hushed voices nearby. He acted on instinct and hid himself in the shadows behind a house, close enough to hear them but far enough not to be seen.

The two men seemed to be equally cautious when they walked. Soon they arrived at a house and knocked on the door. The door opened slightly and a few hushed words were spoken before the two men were allowed entrance and the door closed again.

This caught Hiccup's attention. Something shifty was going on over there.

He looked around and emerged from his hiding place when the coast was clear. He then made his way over to the house and looked for a spot to see what was happening inside. He then spotted a small open window with a sloped roof about halfway up the house. With quick and deadly precision he launched himself up the side of the building. He quickly was on top of the roof just above the window, all without making a sound. He peered slightly inside to see what was going on.

There were a lot more people inside than expected. He recognised a few faces he had seen in the great-hall but most prominent persona was the girl he spend the afternoon with. Astrid Hofferson.

"Alright settle down." Angus Hofferson spoke. "Let us begin our loyalist meeting."

All the Viking men and women sat down around the large table. Astrid included.

"We will begin our meeting with the recent developments. We believe the Jorgensons are up to something and everyone here swore an oath to protect Stoick's rule from any coup." Angus began. "Anyone wish to start?"

Hiccup listened carefully to everything that was said. It went from trade deals to secret communication outside the village. One thing was certain, the Jorgensons had something to do with this Hiccup concluded.

But the next question really got Hiccup's attention.

"What about that stranger that arrive here yesterday? He seems to have taken a liking in the chief's daughter." A random Viking asked.

"Yes indeed." Angus answered. "He has, but I don't know a lot about him actually."

"I do" Astrid suddenly said. The Vikings in the room were surprised and Hiccup mentally cringed on the roof. It was clear these people had the same objective as him. If they deemed him dangerous he would be in trouble.

"I've been hanging around with him this afternoon and… Stop giving me that look! We're just friends!" She suddenly shouted. Some Viking were giving her funny and knowing looks. "Anyway, I got to know him and I believe he is what he tells us to be. A map maker. He is from a land to the south, I've never heard from it before and I still don't know a lot about it but it is called Draconia."

"Draconia? Never heard about it. Maybe we should ask Fishlegs about it. if anyone knows he would." A Viking woman known as Ingrid Ingerman said.

Some Viking started murmuring and Angus spoke up. "Do you think he might be a threat to Stoick?"

"I don't know, he doesn't seem to be an assassin or something like that. I admit there is still a lot I don't know but from what I've heard from him he seems honourable." Astrid answered. "And his liking in Hicca seems to be on a friendship basis. If he would be involved in this coup, I believe he would be on Stoick's side."

"How do we know he isn't just pretending to get closer to Stoick to make his move?" Another Viking asked.

"I don't, it's a feeling. And if he turns out to be hostile I think we can take him. He's only armed with a small sword on the back of his hips." Astrid said.

"Hmm…I've seen that but I think we should wait and see what he does. For now assume him to be a neutral party. But I don't think we should underestimate him. All agreed?" Angus asked.

All present Vikings answered positively.

"Alright, meeting dismissed. Return to your homes and speak to no-one of this meeting." Angus concluded.

The Vikings proceeded to leave the house. They all knew what to do. What they didn't know was that a certain individual had heard their entire conversation. But by the time they came outside he was already long gone.

Hiccup got back to his room and pondered over what he had heard. He knew he had to be careful about his moves as he couldn't be seen as a threat to the chief's rule. But he also had acquired his first lead and he knew who was on Stoick's side.

He would now focus his efforts on the Jorgensons.

 **So that's it. This chapter took a little bit longer because I'm still struggling in making conversations and I couldn't get it quite right. Also this will be the last chapter for about a month for my exams are fast approaching and I really need all my time to study. Afterwards I will gladly continue with the story.**

 **As for some plot points: the meeting at the end of the chapter consists of the clans loyal to Stoick's rule. They include the Hoffersons and the Ingermans minus Fishlegs because he can't keep his mouth shut. The Haddocks are still unaware of the dividing of their village. And Hiccup is the wildcard in the entire clusterfuck.**

 **Reviews:**

 **assasins death: well you're not wrong about that. Snotlout will get what he has coming but the reveal won't come yet. Or will it?**

 **Josie: Uhhh… mission briefing and psychic abilities? No sorry that was a little mistake by me. You saw nothing!**

 **Sara lovelymusic: Alright then now I only need a Capt. America, iron man, winter soldier, Spiderman, etc. Great movie by the way.**

 **Guest: Abandonment issues anyone. But don't worry the story's plot is finished and only needs to be written down. I'll finish it.**

 **Anyway that was chapter 6. I hope you like and as always I've been**

 **Dismissed.**


	7. Chapter 7: Calibration errors

**I'm back baby. Exams were hell and I truly hope it was worth it. Some of you asked me to do more scenes with Stoick and Valka. Well you've got your wish. I did postpone the heavily anticipated fight for it though but don't worry I won't keep you in the dark for much longer. Also I still suck at conversations and fight scenes. Well live and learn they say. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 7: Calibration errors**

 **(Several days later)**

 **Berk village the Forge, Just after noon, 266 ADF**

Over the next few days Hiccup tried to keep himself out of the spotlight, for several reasons. Firstly not to arouse any suspicion by the loyalists, that's what he called the group in favour of Stoick's rule, secondly to silently observe the Jorgenson and lastly to avoid a specific Viking from the latter clan. Snotlout.

Tension has been building up between the two over the past days, mostly because Snotlout is an egocentric bastard and can't have it that a complete 'stranger' got close to 'his' Astrid in such short time.

Tough it was true Hiccup did get closer to Astrid and Hicca in a short time. You could say that Hiccup and Hicca considered each other to be friends. This brought great joy to Hicca because she finally had someone she could call a friend aside from her mother. The relation between Hiccup and Astrid was a bit foggier though. One couldn't really say if they were friends or something more.

Right now Hiccup was right outside the village forge talking with Hicca and Gobber who were working inside. Having worked considerable time in the Draconian workshops himself he knew a bit about forging. And it was nice to have another person around who loved to invent.

"So I made this contraption the other day." Hicca said while wheeling in something that looked like a mix between a wheelbarrow and a chest in the main forge area from out of her little back room. "It's supposed to launch bolas at high speeds through the air. And it has a crosshair for easy aim."

At the sight of the strange contraption Gobber quietly took a few steps back. He knew Hicca's inventions had the tendency to either malfunction and hurt people in the process or just violently explode. "I think the key word here is supposed to." He said wearily whilst giving Hiccup a glance and motioning him to step back.

"That's two words Gobber." Hicca replied with a grin. She was so excited to show het inventions to her new friend that she didn't even think about what usually happens with her inventions.

Meanwhile Hiccup contrary to Gobber's warning didn't move and watched the machine with great interest. This girl definitely had some talent, however seeing the reaction of the blacksmith he quickly realised this talent might not be nurtured around here.

He didn't get any further in his train of thought however since Hicca suddenly spoke again. "Watch this!" She said and pulled a lever on the side of the wheelbarrow. Immediately a crossbow like weapon sprung upwards and fired. Right at him.

Everything seemed to slow down for Hiccup as he saw the newly fired projectile heading straight for him. He turned his head and body backwards to the right to avoid getting smacked in the face, because truthfully it hurts. The bola flew just past his face at high speed. He had avoided it. By pure instinct he reached back with his right hand and snagged the still flying bola out of the air and turned back to Gobber and Hicca in one motion.

"Uh, oops. Minor calibration issue it seems." Hicca said quietly. Embarrassed that she almost hit her new friend in the face with a bola. She desperately hoped he wouldn't hate her now like the rest of the village did.

"Hicca, this is exactly what we talked about. You need to put aside these crazy inventions and all of this…" Gobber said to Hicca.

"But you just gestured at all of me." Hicca replied with a small voice. This was the part she hated most. Getting publically scolded if something went wrong.

"No Gobber, it's like she said. Minor calibration issues." Hiccup then cut in, looking completely calm beneath his hood which would be uncharacteristic for a man who was almost shot in the face. Then he held up the offending bola to which Gobber's and Hicca's jaws dropped because they hadn't noticed he caught.

"Ye caught that bola?" Gobber asked in awe.

"Yes, Yes I did." Hiccup chuckled.

"I'm sorry Ryder. I didn't mean to…" Hicca began but she was silenced when he spoke again.

"Don't be Hicca, it's true that you have a few calibration issues but they can be easily fixed. I advise that you work on the trigger sensitivity, the shock of the weapon extending from its housing is what set it off. Work out that problem and you'll have a weapon that's not to be trifled with. I also think it's quite effective in its purpose, you have the accuracy down quite well and it definitely packs enough force. Some minor modifications to the ammo and would easily be capable to snap the mast of a ship with a single shot." Hiccup advised while pointing to various parts on the weapon and twirling the bola in his right hand.

Gobber was slack jawed. This stranger who had been on Berk for just a week had just given advice on improving one of Hicca's inventions which a minute earlier almost knocked him out. And he hadn't even looked angry, he was laughing about it! Like this happened all the time. An interesting and enigmatic guy indeed.

"Do you really think so?" Hicca asked hopefully.

"I do Hicca, where I come from we have these big workshop's where we produce all kinds of machinery. It wouldn't surprise me if this would roll out of one someday." Hiccup said with an encouraging tone. "I believe this is yours?" He then said to Gobber giving him the bola back. Gobber nodded and took the bola without a word.

"And what would you make in these workshops?" A new voice suddenly asked. Hiccup turned around to see chief Stoick and a woman whom he believed to be his wife standing before him.

"Uh, basically everything sir. Ships, weapons, tools, building machinery and I'm probably forgetting a few things." Hiccup said casually. Trying not to be too intimidated and surprised the chief was there. 'Yeah, things like heavy artillery, airships, grenades and all kinds of weapons for war.' He thought. 'It's better they don't know that.'

"It sounds very big to me when you say it like that." The woman said.

"Well, Draconia is a big nation so it stand to reason everything is bigger there." Hiccup said. "I'm sorry but I don't believe we have met?" He asked.

"My name is Valka Haddock, I'm Stoick's wife as well as Hicca's mother." The woman now known as Valka said. She had a kind voice and didn't seem to be the harsh kind of Viking woman that you found in the rest of the village.

"I'm Ryder, pleased to meet you ma'am." Hiccup greeted whilst extending a hand for a handshake which she took.

"Please call me Valka, there's no need to go all formal on me Ryder." Valka said kindly. "That was quite the inspirational speech tough. My little girl can use all the support she can get." Hicca smiled at this. There was at least one person who supported her.

"Now now Valka, we both know that one day she needs to start thinking more like a Viking and start looking to the future." Stoick said. He then received not one but two death glares, one from his wife which all but said that this was not happening and a second from Ryder who believed that what he said went against all rights of free choice he had learned in Draconia in his youth.

"Well then I guess this is really a society were moral support is given easily. As so far I only encountered one person who actually cared for her ideas and managed to convert a second. The rest just seem hell-bent on turning her down, just like that Snotlout guy on the first day I came here." Hiccup then said with his arm crossed and a disapproving tone in his voice.

Hicca and Gobber cringed. Gobber because the stranger just openly talked back to the chief and Hicca because she doesn't want her parent to know about the bullying because her dad always said that she had to suck it up and deal with her problems head on. Not come crying to her parents.

"What did you say?!" Valka asked with an angry glare. "What did he do to my little girl?!"

"When I arrived here I witnessed Snotlout and two other teens his age bullying and beating Hicca who was sitting on the ground. Because this behaviour goes against any respect for a fellow human being I stepped in and gave him a piece of my mind. And a fist in his face. Afterwards I checked her for injuries and we talked a little." Hiccup said with determination.

Valka's glare hardened for a moment when she looked in the direction of a particular Viking house in the village before settling back on Ryder and Hicca. Her features softened and she spoke. "Well then seems like we're going to have a little talk with a certain Jorgenson Stoick. And afterwards were going to talk. Thank you for helping my daughter Ryder. It's nice to know that there are still good people around in the world." She said while laying a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"My pleasure ma'… Valka." Hiccup corrected himself quickly.

"Now I have a question, you never seem to take off your hood and facemask. Why?" Valka asked.

"I like to remain anonymous during my travels. The less people who know my face the better." Hiccup lied. "Now would you excuse me I still promised Astrid a friendly spar. And I believe she will have my head if I break my promise." He said while beginning to walk away.

"On that we can agree." Valka concluded.

"Can I come along?" Hicca quickly asked. She didn't want to be around her parents and Gobber now. The latter being too shocked about the amount of guts the stranger had for saying all those things.

"Sure, fine by me." Hiccup said and he motioned for her to come along. Stoick was about to stop her and say something but he chose to remain silent at the last moment.

Hiccup and Hicca made their way through the village. When they were far enough away Hicca suddenly stopped them and spoke up.

"Thank you for defending me but why would you do such a thing for me?" She asked.

Hiccup decided that now was a good time for some Draconian wisdom. "Hicca, I'm going to say this once and you must promise never to forget it okay?" Hiccup began.

Hicca only nodded.

"There will always be people thinking and speaking different about one another. But just because they say it very loud doesn't make it true. In the end it doesn't matter what others think, the most important thing is what you think. When the time comes you will have to make your own decisions and know what's best for you." Hiccup said while pointing at Hicca. "Never forget it."

"I won't." Hicca said truly inspired by Ryder's speech. "So where are we meeting Astrid?" She asked.

"We're meeting at the edge of the forest behind the great hall." Hiccup said.

"Race ya!" Hicca suddenly proclaimed and she sped off.

'Oh, so that's how it's going to be. You're on pipsqueak!' Hiccup thought to himself chuckling before speeding off as well.

Hicca used her small size to weave around the various stalls and houses in her path towards the forest. Hiccup had taken an alternative route. A stray hay cart and a few wooden beams were enough for him to propel himself onto the rooftops and he was now doing parkour over the various rooftops and for a moment he was back in Draconia doing the same thing with Valentine when they were younger.

Hicca looked behind her to see if he was still following though she was confused not to see anyone a shout of a random Viking and a fast moving shadow caught her attention. She gasped.

There he was, running swiftly along the rooftops at a sprinters pace. She saw him jumping from one roof to the next with trained agility and he startled more than a few Vikings with his stunts. She quickly started running again not having had this much fun in years.

When she got out of the village she thought she was ahead only for Ryder to land right next to her.

She was startled by his sudden appearance but quickly donned a smile on her face this was fun.

"That wasn't bad, you could keep up with me." Hiccup said.

"You've got to teach me what you just did, that looked awesome." Hicca breathed with excitement.

"Maybe someday, now let's get going. Don't want to keep Astrid waiting." Hiccup chuckled.

"Yeah, let's go." Hicca finished. They then walked the rest of the way towards the forest.

 **Berk forest edge, Just after noon, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and Hicca arrived at the forest edge to find that Astrid had already arrived and was waiting with her axe in hand.

"Hey Ryder, ready to get beaten?" She playfully asked. In these days Astrid had adopted a more carefree attitude thanks to Hiccup's presence. Then she noticed Hicca next to him. "Are we having an audience?" She asked him.

"She wanted to come along, how can I say no?" Hiccup replied.

"Apparently you can't. Just keep your distance okay Hicca?" Astrid said to them.

"Sure." Hicca said and she placed herself on a nearby rock to watch.

"So Ryder, draw your weapon and we can begin." Astrid said getting in a fighting position.

"Actually can we do hand-to-hand combat? I'm curious about how Viking fight with their hands." Hiccup replied. 'See if it is any different from a disarmed Norn berserker?' he thought.

"Alright." Astrid said while sheathing her axe on her back again. "Come at me traveller." She challenged.

Hiccup grinned and dropped in his fighting stance as well. You could immediately see that it was very different from Astrid's. Then he just waited for her to make the first move.

And make the first move she did. She raised her fist and charged screaming to punch him. Hard. Hiccup skidded to the left, thus avoiding her fist and began circling her, his eyes never leaving her form. Astrid charged again with her fist raised, when it was about to hit Hiccup raised his arm and batted her fist away. Using her momentum to sin her around and try to put some distance in-between them. But this time Astrid was prepared and used the momentum of her punch which he deflected to go round all the way and sack him on the arm.

'Hmm…not quite like a Norn berserker it seems.' Hiccup thought.

Astrid continued her attack on Hiccup who would either block or evade her blows. He could clearly see she was slowly getting frustrated about the fact that she couldn't land a decent hit on him.

Then Hiccup decided he had waited long enough and started going on the offensive.

Astrid swung again but instead of dodging the blow Hiccup extended his hand and caught her fist mid blow. Astrid was taken aback but she didn't get any time to be surprised when Hiccup grabbed her arm with his other hand and quite literally swung her over his shoulder like a ragdoll. She landed on her back two meters behind him.

Astrid got back up and looked at Ryder with surprise and interest. He definitely has some skills, few have been able to bring her down like that. Snotlout without a doubt couldn't.

Hicca was mesmerised by the spectacle before her. After Astrid got back up the two had been trading blows back and forth with the occasional punch hitting its mark.

Hiccup wasn't giving it his all however. If he did he would have floored her in seconds flat, and that would spark some suspicion about who he was. But that didn't mean he didn't enjoy this little spar.

Their fight went on for a little while when Hiccup finally decided it was time to end it. He couldn't win however since he remembered what Astrid said about him in the Loyalist's meeting. He needed her to think he wasn't a threat. So he made a slight mistake, on purpose.

Hiccup made a slight opening in his defence large enough for Astrid to see it without being suspicions, Astrid took the bait and acted accordingly. She swiped her leg and gave Hiccup a push in his chest which he couldn't or rather didn't block and he went down on his back with Astrid pinning him down on the ground.

"Nice going there Ryder. Unfortunately not good enough." Astrid said slightly smug but still friendly.

"Well I'm not exactly a trained warrior like you are." Hiccup lied when he got up after Astrid released him from her hold.

"You actually did pretty well. It's a fighting style I haven't seen yet. But you come from a faraway place so it's understandable." Astrid said.

"That was amazing! I wish I could fight like that!" Hicca applauded.

"Anyone can learn to fight like that with enough practice." Hiccup said dusting of his clothes.

Hicca took up a sad face hearing this. "That's what everyone says, but no matter how hard I try I just can't fight. I always screw something up. Hell, I can't even hold a weapon properly!" She said sadly.

Hiccup frowned and stepped closer. "Nonsense, everyone can learn. We just need to figure out what method to use. Stand up." He said. Hicca did as she was ordered and stood up next to him.

Astrid was intrigued. So far none have succeeded to teach Hicca any fighting moves. She wanted to tell him it was useless but then she remembered she was going to be a friend for Hicca and she wisely kept her mouth and watched.

Hiccup reached behind his back and unsheathed his collapsible sword. None of the Vikings had seen it yet so these two were in for a surprise.

Astrid and Hicca looked to the sword confused. They thought it would merely be a dagger but this thing had multiple blade parts and looked like it consisted out of layers with gaps in-between. It looked very strange.

"What's up with that dagger? It looks so weird." Astrid asked.

Hiccup grinned under his mask. "This isn't a dagger Astrid. It's something much more." He said and he pressed the release button on the hilt and gave it a good swing.

The sword extended to its full length with several click and lock sounds. About half a second later Hiccup was holding a sleek sword that was more than twice the length of its folded state.

Hicca jumped at the sudden transformation and Astrid took a step back. Hicca then looked at het sword like it was a wonder of nature that something like that was possible.

"Wow, I didn't expect that to happen." Hicca said.

"Few people do." Hiccup laughed. Then he threw the sword around so he was holding with the blade and the hilt was extended towards Hicca. "Hold it please." He said.

Hicca nervously took the blade in her right hand and one could immediately see how unstable it was. She tried to make a swing but she was hopelessly out of balance.

Hiccup analysed her stance and quickly figured out the problem. "Why are you holding it in you right hand?" He asked.

"Because that's how everyone does it. I thought that's how it's supposed to be done?" Hicca answered.

"But you write and draw with your left hand. Try switching." He ordered.

Hicca did as she were told and it immediately felt a lot more stable and controllable. She took a few swing and they came out alright. Luckily the sword wasn't too heavy.

"How did you know?" Astrid asked seeing that when Hicca switched she almost immediately improved.

"Experience. I had the same issue in the past. Her left hand is dominant, but I presume she always tried to wield weapons right-handed. Seeing that Vikings aren't known for their patient teachings, no offence. They likely never thought about switching hands." Hiccup explained.

"So you are dominant left as well?" Hicca asked pausing her practice swings.

Hiccup took his sword back and held it in his left hand and spun it around. "Well, I'm a bit of a special case really. Mostly I'm left handed but my right hand is equally effective." He said while switching his sword from left to right several times. "It's called being ambidextrous."

"That is so cool." Hicca said in awe.

"It is pretty amazing to be able to do that." Astrid agreed.

"If you say so Astrid." Hiccup chuckled as he gazed down her eyes. Astrid tried to hide the forming blush and was marginally successful.

"So now that you know where to hold a weapon you can use a training sword and practice whenever you want." Hiccup said while sheathing his sword. It clicked back into place and shrunk back to its original size. "But I think we should now head back to the village."

Both girls nodded in agreement and all three of them started off towards the village.

Neither of them realized however they were being watched from behind the treeline by a certain black-haired and steaming teen who had witnessed their fight and conversation.

"No one Ryder, no one gets Astrid but me. She's mine!" He seethed. He then made his way toward the village. Ryder would pay for this.

 **And that's it, chapter done. This chapter in particular was hard to write since it was so long ago since I wrote again. Almost a month. But exams are over now, just waiting for the results. In the meantime I'll just write, watch cartoon series and play games. Particularly Mass effect 3. I can't wait for the newest one, it's bound to be awesome.**

 **Anyways some notes on the story. No-one knows of Hiccup's identity yet. Not even himself. They can't recognize him either because he always wears his hood. Though his mission is going well something is bound to happen soon.**

 **Reviews:**

 **ShadowSpirt020: Hmm, what do you think? I believe I made it quite obvious. (Yes)**

 **assasins death: Thanks man, your review inspired me to postpone the Hiccup(Ryder)/Snotlout fight for some family chatter. I hope it was worth it and now nobody will try to murder me for it.**

 **Grima: Thanks!**

 **TheKingOfAll: Patience is a priceless virtue.**

 **Sara lovelymusic: I'm definitely team Cap. Sorry I just love the Winter Soldier.**

 **AkaDeca: Uhm, ok I will now forget I ever read that. Don't worry I won't. And Valka would indeed recognize Hiccup instantly. (Hint-hint) But she can't when he wears the hood.**

 **Anyways I hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, it really keeps me motivated. As always I've been .**

 **Dismissed.**


	8. Chapter 8: Rising tensions

**I'm back again. And I have nothing to tell you. Just read, author's note on the bottom. Special thanks to assasins death though. I like your input.**

 **Chapter 8: Rising tensions**

 **Great hall, Late afternoon, 266 ADF**

The tree returned to the great hall after the events of the sparring fight between Hiccup and Astrid to sit back, relax and talk a little. Since it was almost time for dinner. They had gotten seated at one of the table and gotten a drink

"So remember to train with your left hand, it will be very advantageous for you in a fight." Hiccup said sipping his mug.

"How so?" Astrid asked.

"Most attackers she'll face will be right handed. And they are used to fighting right-handed opponents since left-handed warriors are kind of rare." Hiccup responded.

They both nodded in understanding and went on with their casual conversation. Ranging from subjects like work and living on Berk to the many places Hiccup had seen. During one point of the conversation Fishlegs had decided to join them on their table.

"Hmm, I seems we have a new face on the table. May I ask who you are?" Hiccup questioned the newcomer.

"Uh, I-I'm Fishlegs. Nice to meet you." Fishlegs said nervously.

'Fishlegs, he was mentioned during the loyalist's meeting. Said to be smart but unaware of the situation. And he is a blabbermouth. Be cautious with him.' Hiccup quickly thought. "Ryder, pleased to meet you too." He said.

"Hey fish, what are you doing here?" Astrid asked.

"Well uh, I heard Ryder was from this far away land and I wanted to ask him some questions like where he lived, what's its like there, are there any dragons…" Fishlegs started rambling.

"Whoa there, slow down man." Hiccup interrupted. Fishlegs effectively shut up and gulped nervously.

"I can't understand a thing you say, can you please talk a little slower. Also you don't need to be afraid to ask questions, I'll answer them as I see fit." Hiccup said with a comforting tone.

Both Hicca and Astrid chuckled at Fishlegs's antics. It was no secret he was nervous talking to strangers.

"Alright, I heard you were from this land called Draconia right?" Fishlegs asked. To which Hiccup only nodded. "What's it like there?"

Now Astrid and Hicca were intrigued as well. Ryder never talked much about his homeland and when he did he only gave obscure answers. Now he might tell them some history about his people.

"I do. And I suppose you want me to tell about my homeland do you?" Hiccup asked back.

The three teens present nodded in confirmation. They were on the edge of their seats in anticipation for a good story.

"Very well." Hiccup said. He then took his map book out of his pocket and laid it open on the table. On the page with the Archipelago and the Draconian continent displayed. "Draconia is the name of my home continent as well as the empire that spans this entire landmass. The empire was founded 266 years ago under our first emperor. A dynasty that still prevails until this day." He explained while motioning over the map with his hand.

"Your home is an empire that has existed for 266 years? That is almost as long as Vikings have been living here." Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Yes, it seems the Archipelago and the continent were settled around the same time. The reason why you don't know about us is probably because we tend to keep to our own. It has only been a few years since our trade convoys have been sailing freely into Viking territories." Hiccup said.

"Wait, you all knew about us all along?" Astrid asked surprised.

"Quite so, we do extensive research to know who our neighbours are but none actually seem to notice us." Hiccup answered.

"So you hide?" Fishlegs inquired.

"Not exactly, we just keep to our own but we don't try to keep ourselves a secret. We just keep ourselves busy with other thing." Hiccup said. 'Like war perhaps.' He thought.

"And so you're ruled by an emperor? What's his name?" Hicca inquired.

"The name of the current emperor is Dytaldir. Husband to Empress Yelena and father to princess Maery. Current ruling royal family of Draconia." He said.

"Have you ever seen them in person?" Fishlegs asked. By now multiple Vikings had joined around the table entranced by Ryder's story about his homeland.

Now was a time for some lies. They couldn't know he was raised by the imperial royal family. "I only saw them once. From very far away. I haven't been in the capitol a lot." Hiccup answered.

"Ow, do you have any dragons out there?" Fishlegs squealed.

Hiccup chuckled. 'A true nerd.' He thought. "Yes Fishlegs, we do have dragons in the homeland."

"So do you have any cool ones?" Fishlegs asked.

"Ooh like a dragon whose skin that burns hotter than the sun!" Tuffnut proclaimed. During the story the twins had joined in as well.

"Come on Tuff, That's ridiculous. There's no way such a dragon could exist." Fishlegs said.

"On the contrary actually." Hiccup said. Al the Vikings present eyes went as wide as dinner plates. They couldn't believe that such a dragon actually existed.

"Aha I said it. The nut is all knowing!" Tuffnut proclaimed.

"The nut is all seeing!" Ruffnut continued.

"The nut is all believing!" They said simultaneously.

"Is this normal?" Hiccup asked Astrid sideways.

"Yeah, you get used to it though." Astrid answered.

"You were going to tell us about this dragon?" A random Viking suddenly said.

"Ah yes, the one with a skin hotter than the sun. We call it the fireworm. And they come in a variety of sizes. You could compare them to a scorching version of a beehive." Hiccup explained.

"Do you have any other dragons there?" Fishlegs inquired.

"Loads actually, but I don't know which one you are familiar with?" Hiccup said.

"Nadders, gronkles, zipplebacks, monstrous nightmares, the usual." A Viking said.

"Okay I know those we tend to see them as well. But we have some others as well. Like the fireworm, Raptors, Stormcutter, skrill, scuttler, and a whole lot more."

"What is a raptor?" Fishlegs inquired.

"A raptor is a breed of dragon. We believe it is a cousin breed of the speedstinger, only they are bigger and have no poisonous tail gland. They are about three meters tall and have no wings." Hiccup explained.

"How do you know all this?" Fishlegs asked.

"It's obvious. The lad has killed his fair share of them isn't it?" A Viking deduced.

Several ooh's and aah's went through the crowd in conformation. Hiccup just face palmed. Though only Hicca noticed this.

"So how many dragons have you killed?" Astrid asked.

Now Hiccup had a bit of a dilemma. Sure, he did kill one dragon in his life. But if they found out which one they would ask questions and figure out he wasn't who he told them who he was. "None, we don't do that in Draconia." He answered.

"What? Why not you say you have tons of dragons out there? Why don't you kill them, it's only natural." A Viking said.

"It's not for us. I know you might not accept my reasoning for not killing dragons but that's just how I was raised. Just like you guys. You see dragons as pests and think they all need to be exterminated. We in Draconia just say live and let live. They roam free and don't bother us and we leave them be as well." Hiccup said.

Some Vikings nodded slightly amongst each other. There was no denying Ryder's logic. There was however one who just had to ruin it.

"That a load of crap Ryder! Dragons don't deserve to live! Not here, nor in your pathetic homeland!" Snotlout accused. "You have no right to even speak like that! We all know it's against the laws of nature itself!"

Astrid and some other Vikings from the loyalist committee scowled at Snotlout. He just blatantly insulted a guest in the village.

"What the hell Snotlout! The guy is just telling about his homeland, have some respect for that!" Astrid said angrily.

"Hmm, he is just a wimp. He never even killed a dragon and says we should just let them live and be friends with them! Is that what you want?" He proclaimed to everyone present.

"That's not what he said Snotlout! You are twisting his words!" Another Viking said.

"That doesn't change anything! He defies all sense of nature with his stories! All dragons should die." Snotlout proclaimed again.

"You have quite the nerve Snotlout. You insult a man's tradition and a guest to the village. You say my ideas are faulty even though I just said we have a different upbringing and thus different ideas about the world. It stand to reason we think differently." Hiccup said calmly. This calm statement shut the rowdy Vikings up as they didn't expect Ryder to react so calmly at the insults.

"But they are still wrong! Let me tell you this Ryder. You are on our island and you better respect us. And I want you to stay away from my future wife!" Snotlout grinned.

"I AM NOT AND I NEVER WILL!" Astrid screamed over the table. If looks could kill Snotlout would have been 2 meters under the ground now.

"Ah come on Astrid, you know you love these." Snotlout smirked while flexing his muscles. Astrid and a few other made gagging noises.

"You really are sad Snotlout. In the short time I have been able to figure you out entirely. You are bold, brash, and think with your muscles and have a brain the size of a pinprick." Hiccup said casually.

Snotlout was fuming. This guy had the gut to insult him, Snotlout Jorgenson and stay calm about it. "What did you say you wimp?! I am much more than that! I am Snotlout Jorgenson,…" Snotlout began.

"Oh, I'm sorry guess I forgot to say you also have an ego bigger then this hall." Hiccup quipped.

This comment got a few snickers in the crowd and a burn comment amongst it. Snotlout however was fuming with anger. He would not let this stand.

"Take that back you worm!" He screeched.

"Hey, you insulted me and my country. I think I have the right to do the same with you." Hiccup said. "Though that does not mean I mean any offence to the rest of Berk. You have been excellent hosts." He added the last part to the crowd earning some cheers of gratitude.

Snotlout was now red hot with rage. He was losing this argument and had no comebacks. But not for a second did he think about backing down.

"That's enough! I challenge you for a duel Ryder! To prove to everyone what a wimp you are and to prove to Astrid that I am the better Viking!" Snotlout yelled.

"SNOTLOUT! WHEN WILL YOU TAKE A HINT!" Astrid yelled. "I'M NOT YOURS, NEVER WILL!"

"Ryder you don't need to do this. Stoick will understand." Hicca said.

"No, I have had enough of you Snotlout. And I do not wish to disrespect the chief by refusing." Hiccup said standing up.

The crowd gasped. Ryder had accepted Snotlout's challenge. Many thought the lad would lose horribly seeing his lean stature.

"Ryder, you really don't have to. Certainly not for me." Astrid said.

"But I want to Astrid. No one should call himself a man with those words." Hiccup answered while looking at her. Then he straightened out and looked at Snotlout. "When?"

"Tomorrow two hours after lunch! Don't be late, if you dare to show up." Snotlout snickered.

"Very well. Now could you leave so that I can finish my story in peace?" Hiccup inquired.

"Fine, not like I wish to stay to listen to a traitor. Neither should any of you." Snotlout spoke.

"Just leave Snotface. No one is going to listen to you." Astrid said.

To this Snotlout scowled and took his leave. When he had exited the great hall everyone settled down again.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that Ryder. He really is a jerk most of the time." Astrid said.

"Don't be it's not your fault. Besides you seem to have a tougher time than me." Hiccup said.

Astrid nodded solemnly.

"So should I continue with my tale?" Hiccup asked the crowd.

"AYE!" The crowd answered.

"Alright then!" Hiccup said.

Hiccup continued to tell the tales of his homeland until far into the night. Although it was a version of the story that hid his true identity and any evidence of the war and his mission. He told about the land, the great cities like the capitol and the smaller villages and natural wonders spread around the continent. Some dragon related facts were told when he and the crowd were marginally drunk until the one question was asked.

"So where did you grow up?" A random Viking asked.

"I was raised in a small village in the countryside. I had my parents and an older sister for company. Life was simple there but I always longed to see the world. Don't get me wrong, I was grateful for the life I had in that small village. It could have been much worse." Hiccup explained.

"Worse, it seems to me you had a pretty good childhood. Didn't your parents love you?" Astrid asked.

"That's the thing Astrid, the parents I grew up with are not my real parents." Hiccup answered.

"They were not. But then…" Astrid began.

"Yes, I was adopted. At a very young age so I never knew my real parents. I don't know if they are even alive." Hiccup said dejected.

Astrid looked at the ground for a moment. This man had done so much in his life but he had never had the chance to meet his real parents. It made her think about how lucky she was to still have both her mother and her father with her.

"But who knows, maybe they are alive and out there somewhere. And maybe I'll find them someday." Hiccup said hopefully.

Astrid then did something she never did before. She hugged him to give some comfort. "I'm sure you will find them someday Ryder."

"Thanks Astrid, I really appreciate it." Hiccup answered.

"You still don't have to fight, you know that do you?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, but I want to." He said.

Their interaction had all but gone unnoticed by one person. Angus Hofferson, who was intrigued because he had only seen this action from Astrid once. But that was almost 18 years ago. Something to think about.

As for Hiccup, he still had no idea how close he actually was to his real family. One only needed to look far enough.

 **Done. And before you say anything, yes I know it took a long time and that this is a short chapter and it might be disappointing but it was an idea from a loyal reader to build up some tension between the two cousins. So I thought up this chapter as a filler. It was hard and that's why it took such a long time to write. And also because I've been obsessively watching Code Geass an RTTE season 2 (it just came out). So I've been a little distracted.**

 **Reviews:**

 **UserJay: no I don't. I just write when I feel like it. It comes more natural to me. But I do try to make progress.**

 **assasins death: it seems you got your wish. I hope it was satisfying. Thanks for being such a loyal supporter of my story. Hope hearing from you again.**

 **Grima: you don't say?**

 **Ghost Dragon Master: nah man sacrifice them to Cthulhu that much worse.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky: well I'm not because I know how it ends. Glad you like it.**

 **DeathStrike59: my ego is growing. I'm honoured you say that.**

 **Maerk Andrew: technically Hiccup is not a prince because he is adopted and I will say it again he is not alone (apart from Toothless) but I won't tell you what that means. *evil laughter**

 **mc arno: perhaps one day. Though there is one who will go there for sure. Try to figure out who.**

 **OechsnerC: I wholeheartly agree. But let's save that for another time. He still has his part to play.**

 **Prima Belladonna: telling you that would be spoilers would it not?**

 **Guest: uh are you familiar with the interface because may 3 was when chapter** **ONE** **was published. Learn the facts bro. (no offence intended, just putting it out there.)**

 **So I hope you've all enjoyed. I've been .**

 **Dismissed**


	9. Chapter 9: Jorgenson conspiracies

**Here I am again. And I will not keep you busy longer than necessary. This chapter is longer than most. And it is a long awaited one. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 9: Jorgenson conspiracies**

 **Undisclosed location, unknown time, somewhere between 263 and 266 ADF**

Rain and snow was streaming out of a dark and gloomy heaven. Thunder strikes were seen far and close by, Hiccup stood ready in his full armour getting drenched waiting for what was to come. His Marshall-Commander was barking orders. They were going to have to break through a heavy Norn fortification under heavy gunfire and during the storm. This was the definition of hell.

The next moment he was flying on Toothless in formation next to his comrades. The weather had worsened even more and the winds were threatening to blow them away. Meanwhile the artillery below was thundering with the same ferocity as the storm itself. Hiccup saw the shells flying by, a weapon he was involved in creating. A weapon that brought only death and destruction.

They weaved around the Norn battlements, blasting and slashing whoever stood in their way. This mountain fortress needed to fall.

Hiccup shot another arrow out of his crossbow, which hit its target right in the neck as they flew at breakneck speed. At this steed the rain started to feel like tiny pebbles hitting his armour and visor. Any faster and he wouldn't see a thing. Then he heard a whizzing sound getting louder and louder.

There was an artillery shell coming his way, FAST. The shell exploded right in front of him making one fiery explosion. Hiccup was too close to evade and chose to just break right through the fireball. Luckily his armour and Toothless are fireproof.

He flew through the orange blaze and when he came out the rain had stopped and the setting changed. He was flying at top speed to evade the angry behemoth of a dragon that was following him. The Red Death as they had called it.

The battle had been going on for some time and many troopers had already given their lives to stop this ferocious beast. Even one of the airship was blown to bits when the monster firs erupted through the mountain. This needed to end soon.

"Okay bud, time to disappear!" Hiccup commanded. Toothless roared in conformation and shot up into the clouds. Hoping the giant dragon would follow.

And it did. As seen from the ground Toothless and Hiccup became a mere black speck high in the clouds followed by the enormous bulk of the Red Death. The troops on the ground held their breath for what was about to happen. For a moment it was silent. Then several nightfury shots were heard and the sky and clouds lit up every time painting an enormous silhouette in the clouds.

"Alright Toothless it seems to be working." Hiccup said.

But then the raging queen set loose an enormous stream of fire in the clouds. Hoping to hit the nightfury and its rider.

"Whoa, shit! Toothless! DOWN!" Hiccup screamed through his helmet.

The pair shot down back to the ground like a missile to evade the Red Death's fire. The behemoth saw this and pursued them as quickly as possible. Now the they were all flying straight down towards the ground.

"Let's hope this works!" Hiccup screamed over the whizzing of the air.

The Red Death positioned herself right behind the pair and squinted her six eyes to take aim. She would not miss this time. She let the highly flammable gas build up in her throat to take the final shot.

Hiccup heard the distinctive sound of a gas build-up and calmed his nerves to become completely stoic. "Hold Toothless…" He said. The pair closed their eyes in preparation for what they were about to do.

Just as the queen was about to fire they took action. "NOW!" Hiccup commanded. The pair immediately spun around and Toothless shot a single blast down the open mouth of the behemoth.

The gas present violently exploded and the fire spread itself through the throat of the great beast. It roared and screamed trying to get the fire out of her. Then the ground appeared below, her eyes widened and she spread her wings to hope and slow down her fall. But due to Hiccup and Toothless's well placed shots her wings were now full of holes. The sudden resistance of opening her wings tore the ravaged membrane apart. She had no chance of slowing down and fell down screeching.

Toothless spread his wings and flew away over the Red Death to safety.

The behemoth impacted on the ground with a deafening bang and her body erupted in a massive fireball. The troops present on the ground were thrown back by she resulting shockwave. Luckily no-one was present on the area of impact. The fiery blaze spread itself upward towards Hiccup and Toothless.

"Oh shit, we need to move Toothless!" Hiccup exclaimed. The nightfury didn't wait to answer and shot away out of the fireball's path.

Several minutes later the entire island was silent. Ash was raining down and the Draconian troops were starting to get up and wondered what had happened and furthermore where the young Hiccup and his companion were.

They got their answer when the sleek black dragon came gliding and slightly crashed into the ground. Hiccup was thrown of his friend's back due to the impact but he didn't care. He was too exhausted to care.

The troops present exhaled in relief. The prophesised one was safe. The legion commander stepped forward to the exhausted boy and sat next to him on his knees. "You did well son, you saved the lives of a lot of people and dragons today." He said.

"I'm never doing that again!" Hiccup slurred.

The commander took of Hiccup's helmet and checked for any injuries. Other troops had already reached Toothless and did the same for him. "Close your eyes and rest for a bit lad. We'll take care of things." He said. Then the old officer chuckled. "I think you'll be a great successor to me Hiccup. Well done." He said when Hiccup drifted asleep.

Hiccup opened his eyes but his vision was very blurry. He could see the shapes of two people standing over him. But he couldn't make out who they were. Then one of the shapes spoke.

"He looks so frail, so fragile. I fear he might not make it." A female voice said worried.

"Don't worry love, he'll make it. I have no doubt that one day he'll be the strongest of them all." A male voice comforted.

 **Berk, Hiccup inn room, morning, 266 ADF**

Hiccup woke up with a start. He just had another flashback nightmare.

"Damn, that was weird." Hiccup said to himself. "One hell of a flashback. The siege of Carathras and the battle with the Red Death. Not the moments I wish to remember."

But the last of the images he saw intrigued him. From what he knew that weren't memories from any battle or anything he could remember. "What was that last one about? I can't remember anything like that?" He said while sitting up and holding his head trying to remember.

"Subconscious memories? From what?" He thought. "It felt like a long time ago. Could those people have been my parents? But why here? Why now?" He questioned. 'One day I'll find out I guess.' He thought.

He stood up and prepared himself for the day. He remembered the events from the evening before. The argument and challenge from Snotlout were amongst the less memorable, but there were some nice memories as well. Like the time and hug he spend with Astrid. He did start to like the girl more and more. Even though they have such a different past and upbringing.

He donned himself in his cloak and put his hood on. One could never be too careful. Once he was done he set out for breakfast. Hopefully he could have a nice conversation with the resident nerds.

When he arrived at the great-hall of the village he noticed the table he and Hicca regularly shared was now occupied by the latter joined by Astrid and a Fishlegs Ingerman, whom he had 'officially' met last night. Astrid noticed him enter and donned a smile on her face when she waved him over. When he made his way there he could see Snotlout scowling at him. Hiccup grinned, he was able to capture the attention of the girl Snotlout wanted so badly. Being a gentleman pays off it seems, and it really is his fault he can't take a hint.

"Hey Ryder, had a good night's rest?" Astrid asked.

"Well, if you ignore the headache I got from all that mead from last night then yes." Hiccup joked back, earning a few chuckles from around the table, seeing as he really wasn't drunk last night.

"So? Not too nervous about what you'll have to do this afternoon?" Fishlegs asked.

"Should I be?" Hiccup answered casually.

Right on that moment Gobber walked by and overheard. "Well maybe you should lad. Snotlout may be arrogant but he is still on of this generation's best fighters. Apart from Astrid of course." Gobber said.

"I can certainly understand why." Hiccup said while glancing at Astrid who blushed faintly. "Don't worry about me Gobber. I still have some tricks up my sleeve."

Gobber chuckled. "Aye, and you're quite the ladies' man as well. I hope Snot doesn't bruise your face too much. I would hate it if his girlfriend dumped him for that." Gobber laughed when he walked away.

"Heh, I like him." Hiccup chuckled.

Hicca was laughing along as well, she did spend almost all her time with the man. "So Ryder? Do you have anyone special back at your home?" She inquired.

Astrid subtlety stopped laughing and listened intently. This was a question that kind of interested her as well but she never wanted to ask.

Hiccup chuckled. "No Hicca, I have not. I've never had a girlfriend in my life, I've been eternally single." He answered.

"Ooh, that's nice to hear isn't it Astrid." Hicca sassily remarked.

Fishlegs sucked in a surprised breath. Saying something like that to Astrid was literally a death wish.

Astrid however got extremely red in a matter of seconds and glared at Hicca. "I … uh … I have no idea what you're talking about." She stuttered back. Which resulted in Hicca laughing even harder. Hiccup chuckled along as well, but no one could see he was just as red under his hood as well.

Their conversation progressed further as they left the subject behind and talked about the daily and mundane things. After breakfast they went to do their respective jobs and Hiccup just wandered the island drawing and generally being at peace. He could however not erase a certain smile from his head.

Lunch came more quickly than expected and afterwards Hiccup excused himself quickly so he could get ready for the now inevitable duel. When he entered the kill-ring no one was there yet, seeing as he was an hour early.

"Hmm, no audience yet. Well get comfortable I guess." Hiccup said to himself.

He then sat down cross legged at the edge of the kill-ring on the opposite side of the entrance and waited. He even started to meditate and whistle the Imperial marching tune to kill the time. It stayed quiet for some time until he heard voices coming his way.

"Hah, I bet that wimp won't have the guts to show up." He heard Snotlout say.

"Actually, has anyone seen him recently?" Another voice said. It was probably one of the twins, he couldn't tell.

"Well, I saw him at lunch but then he just disappeared. And I don't know where he went." Fishlegs said. Hiccup started grinning under his hood. They were in for a shock when they find him here.

"He said he wanted to go ahead and prepare himself." A voice clearly recognised as Astrid's said.

"Babe you know he's a loser. I bet he just ran off because he was too scared." Snotlout tried to sound manly.

"Snotlout, call me that again and I'll make sure Ryder doesn't have an opponent to fight anymore." Astrid said with a voice of malice.

Hiccup heard someone squeak and had a hard time not bursting out into laughter. Astrid kind of reminded him of some intimidating figures in the military. She would fit in.

Multiple Vikings started to appear above the kill-ring in the spectator's area though none seemed to have noticed him yet. None but one.

"Hey Ryder! There you are!" Hicca exclaimed from above him. Suddenly the Vikings all noticed Ryder sitting cross-legged in the arena without a care at all. Some even looked surprised, they likely thought he was going to chicken out.

"Hello Hicca. Nice arena you got here, although it's not very comfortable for sitting." Hiccup called out waving his hand.

"Yeah I guess so. What are you doing?" Hicca asked.

"Meditation. It helps calm your mind." Hiccup answered.

"Puff… you don't need a calm mind to fight. You only need these muscles." Snotlout scoffed while flexing.

"Keep believing that man." Hiccup said sarcastically.

"You can still surrender you know. It will spare you the disgrace of losing. Although that wouldn't matter to you anyway, as you can't be any lower as you already are. I'm surprised you even have the guts to show up." Snotlout insulted.

"Trash talking will get you nowhere Snotlout." Hiccup said with a bored tone.

"Shut up loser!" Snotlout shot back unsuccessfully.

Meanwhile Snotlout had entered the kill-ring, a crowd had formed and chief Stoick had taken place in his chair.

"Snotlout, I you're planning to talk me into submission you're not doing a good job at it." Hiccup said while still seated on the arena floor.

"Alright silence!" Stoick bellowed and everybody shut up. "We are here today because Snotlout here has challenged our village guest Ryder to a duel. I expect a clean and honest fight from both of you. Gobber, would you go over the rules?"

"Yes chief. This will be a fight where the first person to get the other to submit or injure beyond continuing wins." Gobber began.

"That'll be me!" Snotlout interrupted.

Gobber send a hard glare Snotlout's way to shut him up and continued. "You each may choose your weapon from the rack if necessary and wait for Stoick's order to begin."

Snotlout turned to the rack and picked a large sword and a shield. Hiccup however just stayed seated and did nothing. To great confusion of the watching Vikings.

"Why isn't he moving?" A random Viking whispered.

"What's the matter wimp? Can't stand up?" Snotlout sneered.

"Hum… if I must…" Hiccup said. He then bend back and untangled his feet. He then planted his hands behind his head and thrusted his entire body upwards feet first. He literally flipped upright in one move and was now standing.

"Whoa…" Hicca whispered to herself. "I never saw anyone do that."

Snotlout was also surprised of what he did but hid it very well. "Puff… neat trick. Now pick your weapon I can beat you."

"I already have my weapon Jorgenson." Hiccup answered.

"Ha-ha… are you seriously thinking you can beat me with that puny dagger on your back?" Snotlout laughed.

"Yes… And it's not a dagger Snotlout." Hiccup smirked.

He got every Viking present's attention. In the entire crowd there were only two people who had seen what this 'dagger' could do. Hiccup smirked under his hood and drew his sword and held it in his left hand. The Vikings looked at the weapon with raised eyebrows. It looked very weird to them, like it consisted out of many parts. Hiccup began spinning around the blade in his hand, doing some spins until he did a complete 360 with his body waving his sword and pressing the release button. In a second the sword sprang out and unfolded to its full length.

Several Vikings' jaws hit the floor, including Gobber's.

"What is that?" Gobber said slack jawed.

"So? Are we going to stand here all day? Or are we going to fight?" Hiccup joked.

"Fighters Ready? GO!" Stoick shouted starting the duel.

Snotlout didn't hesitate a second and immediately charged Hiccup while shouting a loud battle cry. Hiccup braced himself and analysed his opponent.

'His advantage: his shield, my advantage: superior training and he underestimates me. Take away the shield.' Hiccup analysed. 'Time for action.'

By now Snotlout had reached Hiccup and raised his sword high to hit him with all his might. Hiccup saw it coming and rolled under his strike, ending up behind his opponent.

Snotlout however corrected quickly and used his momentum to turn all the way to strike again. And Hiccup was waiting for him. Their swords clashed and Snotlout was the least bit surprised when Hiccup didn't move an inch. Hiccup pushed back on the sword and effectively pushed Snotlout back. Snotlout then tried to shove him with his shield but Hiccup jumped back to avoid the blow. Snotlout then swung his sword wildly in an effort to hit Hiccup but he just weaved out of the way and dodged every blow.

Snotlout, who was getting madder with the second lashed out. "STAND STILL SO I CAN HIT YOU! YOU BASTARD!"

"So in a real battle you expect your enemy to stand still and let himself be killed just because you ask them? Great strategy." Hiccup quipped, only enraging Snotlout further.

"SHUT UP AND DIE ALREADY!" Snotlout raged.

They continued their dance of blocking and dodging blows. Although Hiccup was more dodging and blocking while Snotlout's attack became more erratic. He was letting his anger get to him. And that was just the opening Hiccup needed.

He had already gotten a good look at the shield Snotlout was using and now knew where he had to hit it to break it of his arm.

Hiccup dodged two more swings and timed it just right so he got on the left side behind Snotlout. He then gave a mighty kick against the back side of the shield. The shield's structure couldn't hold and shattered of Snotlout's arm. It also sent Snotlout flying several meters. Safe to say he was stunned, along with the rest of the crowd. This stranger had just smashed a sturdy wooden shield of his arm.

Snotlout got back up and gripped his sword with both hands. He was now madder than ever, he would never lose to a scrawny wimp like Ryder, NEVER!

Hiccup readied himself he could see that Snotlout was becoming more aggressive by the minute and was barely thinking anymore. All the more fun to toy with him.

'Let's take him for a little chase." Hiccup thought.

Snotlout charged again and this time Hiccup met him head on, their swords clashed and Hiccup gave Snotlout a kick to the knee. Snotlout buckled down and as a result Hiccup could release the sword-block and slashed Snotlout across the jaw. Leaving a decent cut behind and stepped back again.

Snotlout stopped and brought a hand to his face, he drew back when he touched the cut and looked at his blood-stained hand. He could not believe that this man just sliced him across his face.

That was it, Snotlout was beyond mad now. Not only could he not hit Ryder but he got a cut from him instead. He would end this right here and now.

"RAAAH!" Snotlout screamed. "GET OVER HERE!"

Snotlout started chasing Hiccup in blind rage, he didn't think. All he was focused on was beheading Hiccup with his sword, nothing else mattered.

This was exactly what Hiccup wanted. Might as well give these Vikings a good show and do some training at the same time. He started doing laps around the arena with Snotlout chasing behind him. Occasionally he would change directions to make Snotlout stumble to keep up with him. Then he began running straight at a wall with no indication of slowing down.

'Alright, no hesitation. This has to be done perfectly' Hiccup thought.

Hiccup ran up to the wall and basically ran up the wall letting his momentum carry him upward. Once he was on his highest point he set off and back flipped over Snotlout who stormed under him. Snotlout had no idea where he was going so he smashed full speed into the arena's stone wall. A crunch indicated he had likely broken his nose on the impact. And Hiccup landed behind him on both feet, while Snotlout sank to the floor temporarily dazed.

Snotlout was beyond humiliated and mad. But now he started to realise that his opponent might be more capable than anticipated. He got back up and raised his sword again. He had to go on.

Now it was time for Hiccup to go on the offensive. Snotlout was bruised and tired from the fight and he could still go for hours. Hiccup swung his sword and Snotlout blocked but was pushed to the defensive. And he was having a hard time. Hiccup kept spinning his sword around keeping Snotlout in the defensive.

Snotlout kept his sword vertical in front of him to block the next blow. Hiccup was doing a 360 degree spin and was underway to hit him full force. What happened next stunned everyone but Hiccup himself.

The two blades met but they didn't meet and stop. Hiccup's blade just sliced right through Snotlout's.

'The beauty of Gronkle-iron.' Hiccup thought.

When Hiccup sword went through Snotlout's he didn't stop his momentum. Even before Snotlout had the time to react, Hiccup smashed his right fist on Snotlout's wrist. Effectively breaking it.

Snotlout screamed out in pain. But Hiccup didn't stop there, He swiped Snotlout's feet from under him knocking him to the ground. He rolled backwards and onto his feet a few meters further but Hiccup was immediately back on top of him. Snotlout got hit in the stomach and face by Hiccup's sword hilt and fist respectively. Snotlout tried to fight back but he could not focus with all the pain and the multiple hits coming in. Only now he realised what kind of a mistake he made.

Hiccup then hit him across the face with his right fist but immediately grabbed with his left where he was holding his sword in a reverse hold and pulled him back. Then Hiccup drew back his fist for the last time and socked him fight between the eyes, sending him flying backwards onto the arena floor where he stayed and didn't move at all.

Snotlout was completely unmoving sprawled on the floor with Hiccup standing a few meters away.

The entire crowd was shocked silent. Never had they seen anyone get such a brutal beating. Ryder was virtually uninjured while Snotlout was in a much worse state.

"Did he just kill him?" Someone whispered.

"I don't know." Someone else answered.

Several Vikings were murmuring about what happened so Hiccup knew he had to check if he hadn't accidently killed Snotlout.

While still holding his sword in reverse grip he stepped closer to Snotlout, crouched down and put two fingers against his neck in search of a heartbeat, which he luckily found.

"Okay it's all right." Hiccup said while standing back up and sheathing his sword. "He's just unconscious." He proclaimed.

Several gasps of relief were heard in the crowd and someone started clapping. Hiccup searched for the person doing this and quickly found his answer in the form of Hicca. Soon several others started clapping including: Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Angus Hofferson, Gobber and Stoick. All for different reasons. The twins were just happy with the show they got, Astrid and Angus were glad someone beat the living crap out of Snotlout and the rest did because they were being polite and liked the show.

Hiccup did a small bow as a thanks and looked at the unconscious Snotlout on the floor.

'I can't leave him here, no matter how much I hate him.' Hiccup thought. He then reached down towards the unconscious body, grabbed one of its arms and hauled him onto his shoulders to transport him. Several Vikings were surprised by this gesture, most of them would leave him then and there.

"Can someone show me the way to the village healer? I think this one needs it." Hiccup asked.

He got a response from a small, old, grey woman that waved her staff around. 'Probably the village elder.' He thought. He then exited the kill-ring and proceeded to follow the old lady.

"Ryder, that was amazing! I never seen anything like it!" Hicca said running up next to him.

"I told you I had some tricks up my sleeve." Hiccup answered. He was then punched on the shoulder by a certain blonde haired Viking.

"Ow, what was that for?" He asked to the offending teen.

"That's for not making it last longer." Astrid said before she leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. She then looked really surprised with herself and backed away shyly. "And.. t-that's for all the rest." She quickly stuttered before she zoomed away.

Hiccup only stood there frozen. Astrid had just kissed him, he didn't know what to think when he touched his cheek. Definitely something to think about.

He was snapped out of his frozen state when the old woman hit him on the head with her staff and motioned him to follow her, which he did without question.

The rest of the Viking teens stayed rooted on the ground because of what they just saw. Astrid had never done that with anyone. But they weren't the only ones that had noticed. Angus Hofferson stood a little ways back and appeared to be thinking.

'First the hug and now this? I am definitely having a talk with Ryder tomorrow.' Angus thought.

 **(An hour later)**

 **Berk Forge, afternoon, 266 ADF**

"I still don't understand, Ryder beat the shit out of Snotlout and not only that but he literally cut his sword in two." Gobber said.

"Well it could have just broke. You know how Snotlout is with his weapons." Hicca answered.

Gobber turned to Hicca and held up the destroyed sword hilt. "Hicca, I have the weapon right here and I know the difference between cutting and breaking. And this was definitely cut." He said and ran his finger across the cut. "And it's sharp too. What was that lad using because this isn't like anything I have ever seen?"

"I did hold it yesterday, but I thought it was just normal metal. Apart from the crazy contraption on the inside." Hicca said.

"He let you hold it?!" Gobber said amazed. "What did it feel like?"

"I was sharp and excellently balanced. But it was very light though, at first I thought it was because it was hollow. But now that I think about it, that sword was way too light and too strong to be normal." Hicca described.

"Aye, it's possible it's made from a different metal that we don't know." Gobber concluded.

"Seems likely." Hicca confirmed.

"One thing's for certain, I'm going to have a little chat with the lad tomorrow." Gobber said.

 **Berk Great-hall, evening, 266 ADF**

All the Vikings of Berk were now enjoying their dinner in the great-hall. Many were still talking about Ryder's astonishing win over Snotlout. Many wondered how and where he learned to fight like that, since he absolutely didn't look like a fighter for Viking standards.

"So? Anyone have any thoughts about what happened today?" Fishlegs began.

"Snotlout got destroyed if that's what you're asking." Tuffnut answered.

"Yeah, and he looked like it was nothing at all. He didn't break a sweat… . And that's hot." Ruffnut added dreamily.

"Okay yuck." Tuffnut gagged.

"But she has a point though. He didn't seem like he had a hard time fighting Snotlout. It was like he was trained to do something like this." Fishlegs added.

"But why hide that? I had a sparring fight with him yesterday and I didn't have the impression he was holding back…" Astrid said absent minded. "I think it's a good idea we talk to him about this."

"Agreed." The rest of the teens said in unison.

 **The cove, evening, 266 ADF**

After bringing Snotlout to the healer Hiccup decided to disappear for a while and left for the forest. After making sure he wasn't followed he made his way to Toothless in the cove. Where he was as usual showered with licks. He remained there for the rest of the afternoon and talked to Toothless about everything what had happened so far and what he had learned so far. They also opted to have dinner there instead of Hiccup going to the Great-hall. Dinner over a campfire with a few fishes like old times.

"And then afterwards she just kissed me and I don't know what to think anymore." Hiccup said frustrated. "I feel like I'm beginning to grow attachments here."

"You know that's very dangerous. What if they find out who you really are? They won't take kindly on a foreign soldier and dragon-rider." Toothless crooned in response.

"I know bud. It's all so difficult. I feel like I'm losing sight of what I'm here for." Hiccup said.

"It would be better if you finish your mission soon so we can go home. Like it or not Hiccup but there is nothing here for you now. I'm sorry." Toothless responded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just need to find a solution and then we can leave." Hiccup signed.

"Don't worry, you'll survive." Toothless crooned with a toothless grin.

"Alright, I better get going. Otherwise they might come looking for me." Hiccup said while standing up. "I'll be back soon bud." He said while walking out of the cove.

 **Village centre, later evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup was quietly strolling back to his room when he suddenly heard something nearby. Out of pure instinct he ducked behind a few barrels nearby and waited.

His instincts had been proven right when two Vikings who seemed to be in a hurry. They also regularly looked over their shoulder as if to check that they weren't being followed. This got Hiccup's attention and he opted to follow the two in hopes of finding the answers he was looking for.

After a few minutes of stalking the Vikings arrived at a house he knew all too well. The Jorgenson's house.

One of the two knocked the door. When it opened another Viking's head appeared. "Are you sure you weren't followed?" the Viking asked.

"Yes, we're sure." One of the two answered.

The Viking inside nodded and let the two inside, he then looked around before closing the door.

Hiccup had to act fast. This was the event he was waiting for, if he was correct in thinking this was another secret meeting. There was no secluded space on the roof for him to hide so he needed an alternative. Then he noticed there was some space between the ground and the floor under the house.

He checked if the coast was clear and zipped over to the house and silently dived underneath it. Now he was in a perfect position to eavesdrop.

It wasn't long before he started hearing voices from above.

"Alright, everybody settle down so we can begin." A voice he recognized as Spitelout's said. There was some shuffling and soon everybody in the room was seated. He tried to find a better spot so he could see and eventually he found a crack in the floor that gave him sufficient room to view the insides of the room.

He could see multiple Vikings seated around a round table with Spitelout at the head. He recognized several faces like the Thorston family, the twins' parents and a still gravely injured and bandaged Snotlout. He couldn't see the twins though. There was also something on the table but he couldn't see what it was.

"Let us begin with this meeting. As you all know the moment of our strike draws very close so we'll make sure everyone is set and ready. I'm sure everybody is aware of the plan?" Spitelout asked.

Everyone in the room voiced their confirmation or nodded.

"Good, then are there any points of attention left before our strike?" Spitelout continued.

"Yes, it's about the stranger Ryder. Are you sure he won't interfere with our plans? He showed us today that he doesn't mess around." The female Thorston asked.

"Don't you dare mention that name in this house!" Snotlout seethed nasally. His broken nose caused him some speech problems.

"Snotlout, quiet." Spitelout ordered. "Yes I am aware that this Ryder fella is more dangerous than we expected. And no he won't be a problem. He's only one man and can't possibly stop us."

"But what if he sides against us afterwards. He seems to be on good terms with Stoick." Another Viking voiced.

"Don't worry about that. After our strike against Stoick tomorrow we can take steps to blame him. He already made himself suspicious by being a good fighter and he's just the perfect scapegoat. After tomorrow nobody will trust him anymore." Spitelout said.

"Good, I want that cheater dead. I'll do it myself tomorrow if I get the chance." Snotlout said angrily.

"Snotlout, you are too injured to do that. The guy broke your nose and wrist, you are in no condition to fight." Spitelout began.

"But dad…!" Snotlout interrupted.

"Silence! This is final Snotlout. You can't participate tomorrow, it is best if you stay indoors. You'll get your chance afterwards." Spitelout finished.

"Grmm… Fine." Snotlout conceded.

"Alright then, anymore points of attention?" Spitelout asked. Nobody said anything. "Good, then let us have a toast… on the last day of Stoick's rule."

Hiccup's eyes widened, this was horrifying. That so many people were conspiring to overthrow Stoick and it was happening tomorrow! He didn't need to hear anything more and quickly hurried out from under the house and to his rented room.

When he arrived he sank onto his bed and held his head in his hands. 'This is it, tomorrow it is happening. I need to be extra alert and never let Stoick out of my sight. For he is the likely target.' Hiccup thought.

'All or nothing now.' He thought when he undressed and went for bed.

'Just hope I can stop them…' Were his last thought before succumbing to sleep.

 **Wow, that was a really long one. Though I think you guys deserve it. I made it extra-long as a compensation for the last chapter. That's also why it took a little longer to write, I wanted to und this arc here and now. I am certain this one will please you all.**

 **To make thing a little clear the beginning scenes are all memories from Hiccups early years in the military. They give a glimpse at what he's been through and what horror's he has seen and hardened him. The last scene is obvious I think.**

 **Also no Hiccup reveal, some of you were likely thinking I would reveal his identity after the fight but I didn't. I have a much more dramatic reveal planned further on. Also I thing a reveal after the big fight is a bit cliché. So everyone is still in the dark and the story is shifting into a higher gear. Also this will be the last chapter with Hiccup in disguise, next chapter it's back to Draconian trooper armour. What will happen? That's for me to know and for you to forever wonder about. Well at least for a week or so.**

 **Reviews:**

 **OechsnerC: why thank you.**

 **assasins death: an enormously long review as always. But sadly no review as I have mentioned earlier. As for some extra guest's from the Empire, they will be coming. And as for pairings I'm not really planning on pairing Hicca with someone just yet. Maybe in a sequel.  
PS: I aim to please.**

 **Grima: No he doesn't know about his identity but he is drawing some parallels. He is getting interested in the man who his daughter is showing an interest in.**

 **Jak Fortune: Sir? I like that. Thanks for the compliment by the way.**

 **Secret: well, years of training and a dragon tend to make you awesome. As for the faces, just you wait.**

 **mc arno: Snotlout indeed didn't like it one bit.**

 **JHawkins: Reading that gives a tremendous boost to my confidence you know. And if you like lore and background, I'm working on a Danny Phantom story concept with tons of lore and backstory. Unfortunately it won't go into production until at earliest September.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky: one demolished Snotlout on a silver plate. Bon appetit.**

 **Phew, that was it for me today. I hope you all enjoyed and stay tuned. Now I'm going to hit the sheets. I've been .**

 **Dismissed**


	10. Chapter 10: Under siege

**The next chapter is here. Please read author's note at the bottom for important information about future uploads. Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 10: Under siege**

 **(A few hours later)**

 **Berk, early morning, 266 ADF**

It was only very early morning when Hiccup was rudely awakened by screaming Vikings and blaring alarm horns. Something was up.

He quickly got out of bed, put his cloak on and rushed outside to see what was going on. 'Damn, I hope that strike they were talking about didn't happen yet.' He thought when he stepped outside.

The sight before him was unlike anything he had ever seen, it was like the entire village had turned into a nest of ants that was disturbed. Vikings were hollering everywhere, carrying swords, axes, wooden barricades, war hammers, everything you can imagine. He just stood there having no idea what was going on. Then he saw a flash of blonde, braided hair and he immediately knew who that was and sprinted after her.

"Astrid!" Hiccup shouted to which she turned around. "What the hell is going on?"

"Ryder! Berk's under attack! Lookout's spotted multiple outcast and berserker ships approaching! They'll be here within the hour, go to the forge and whip up some armour! We need every capable man and woman on the breach!" Astrid shouted over all the noise.

'Shit, this is bad. This on top of that conspiracy? This really is too convenient. Time to suit up.' Hiccup thought. "I'm on it Astrid, but I don't need armour. I've got my own." Hiccup shouted back.

Astrid briefly got a surprised look on her face. She hadn't expected that answer seeing that he didn't wear any during his fight with Snotlout the day before. But before she could ask Hiccup had already run of.

Hiccup dashed back into his inn-room. He needed to empty it of his materials, if this turned bad he needed to make sure nothing could lead to his true identity in the military. Once he got everything packed up he didn't bother to use the door and figuratively flew out of the window in the direction of the forest. To Toothless.

It didn't take long before he arrived at the cove. Toothless had heard the commotion and immediately came hopping to Hiccup when he arrived in the cove.

"Hey bud." Hiccup greeted. He was greeted back by several licks in the face. "Yeah alright, I missed you too bud. Listen, something is happening today and the village is now under attack on top of that. Way to convenient if you ask me."

Toothless nodded, this was connected in some way.

"Indeed, so let's suit up." Hiccup declared.

Hiccup and Toothless made quick work of putting Hiccup's Draconian trooper armour on and securing all extra gear he didn't need on Toothless' saddle.

"Ah, it feels good being back in normal uniform. That Viking-like disguise was starting to bother me." Hiccup said.

"But it suited you. Hiccup the Viking. Oh hear his name and tremble." Toothless crooned jokingly.

Hiccup deadpanned at Toothless. "Shut up you useless lizard." Hiccup said back.

"Just telling the truth." Toothless responded.

"Alright moving on." Hiccup continued. "You know what the plan is Toothless, you wait on the forest edge until I give the signal. And don't get spotted, if that happens we're both dead."

"Please, I am known as the 'unholy offspring of lightning and death' remember." Toothless breezed.

"Right…" Hiccup deadpanned. "Still, be ready."

Toothless nodded and they both silently left the cove and made their way to the forest edge. During their preparations almost an hour had passed so the attack would commence any minute.

"Alright Toothless, this is it. Wish me luck." Hiccup said. He then put his helmet back on and locked it in place. He rolled his head back and forth a few times to make sure everything was in the right place. Then he walked forward out of the forest and into the village. He left it as a traveller, now he was back a trooper.

'Showtime…' Hiccup thought.

 **Berk village centre, early morning, 266 ADF**

"Is everyone ready?" Astrid asked the gang around her. It consisted of her, Fishlegs and the twins.

"Yeah, we're good. Snotlout is back at the hall, he can't fight yet." Fishlegs answered. He was nervous, he had fought dragons a few years ago but fighting outcasts and berserkers was a whole different level. And they were people.

"Yeah, I heard his wrist and nose were broken. He would be really stupid to fight with that. And that means a lot when I'm saying that." Tuffnut laughed.

"Ryder really did a number on him didn't he?" Ruffnut said.

"Yes he did. Speaking of Ryder, where is he at?" Fishlegs asked.

"Well, I saw him little under an hour ago. He asked me what was going on and I told him we were under attack and told him to get some armour in the forge because we need every fighter present. But then he just ran off shouting he had his own armour." Astrid mused.

"Well that's weird. Because I saw him run into the forest with almost all of his stuff packed not too long ago." Tuffnut said. "Wait, did he say he had his own armour?"

"Then why didn't he wear any yesterday?" Fishlegs asked.

"I don't know! And you say you saw him run off into the forest with all his stuff packed?!" Astrid exclaimed.

"Would he have abandoned us?" Ruffnut asked.

"Or maybe he was a spy and he knew what was going to happen and made himself clear." Tuffnut jokingly exclaimed.

"No, he wouldn't do that. Would he?" Astrid silently said to herself.

"Guys…" Fishlegs tried.

"Well who would have thought? A traitor in our midst all along." Tuffnut continued.

"Guys…" Fishlegs tried again.

"No, he can't be a traitor knucklehead. He's way too cute for that." Ruffnut said dreamily.

"GUYS!" Fishlegs screamed. Suddenly all of them shut up and looked at Fishlegs who was clearly staring at something.

"Look…" Fishlegs said while pointing at something behind them. They all turned around and their jaws dropped in astonishment.

Running over the rooftops was a tall man clad in a brownish armour with different kinds of green splattered over it. The armour the man wore was exotic to say the least, they had never seen anything like it. Heavy steel and leather boots reaching to just below his knees and armour patches covered the knees while the rest of his legs were covered with a brown material. The man had utility belt containing various tools and weapons. They recognised things such as throwing knives, daggers, something that looked like crossbow bolts, several pouches and cylindrical boxes. It was impossible to guess their purpose by looking at it. He also had a weird looking skirt hanging from the back of his legs.

The man's chest was covered by some sort of chestplate made of an unknown material protecting his front and back. On his shoulders and arm were shoulder guards, upper arm protection and elbow guards. All made from the unknown material and painted in some sort of camouflage pattern. Then there was his helmet.

The helmet was simply put, terrifying. It looked like some sort of brown-green metal and leather helmet that covered his entire head and face. There was some sort of filter where his mouth should be, a rim above the eyes and a green tinted glass visor underneath the rim. All in all this man looked dangerous. But then they spotted several details on him. Most noticeably the Draconian emblem and the collapsible sword sheath that could only belong to one person.

"Is that… Ryder?" Tuffnut asked flabbergasted.

"It has to be. There is no one else no this island who carries that sword or has any affiliation to Draconia. You can see the emblem on the shoulder pads." Fishlegs concluded.

"But where did the armour come from? Why wouldn't he wear it during the fight? Why hide this?" Astrid questioned.

"I believe the only way to know is to ask him." Fishlegs mused.

Hiccup had now stopped to a standstill on one of the roofs and crouched down slightly for better balance. He had a pretty good view of the Berk bay and could see the ships approaching, but a better look never hurt. He pulled his binoculars from his belt and brought them to his visor to take a better look.

The binoculars were made with the same material and colour scheme as his armour. Brown with green tinted lenses, they helped viewing in dark areas. He saw that they had siege weapons mounted on their ship and would be in firing range any moment. Signing he put away his binoculars and stood up again.

He saw the teen come in his direction. 'Probably want answers about my attire.' Hiccup thought. Then he saw a flaming projectile being launched from one of the ships. 'Too late though…'

The boulder impacted to Hiccup's left casting a fiery glow over his features. Astrid and the rest of the teens who were approaching from the other side saw this and stopped in their tracks. The light produced by the impacting fireball illuminated Ryder on the building perfectly. Casting a dark shadow on a fiery background. Hiccup turned his head towards the teens to his left, a sight that send chills through anyone looking at it.

Outcasts and Berserkers started landing on Berk's shores and quickly spread into the village. Shouts and battle cries were heard all around. The fight had begun.

Hiccup drew his sword and extended it to full length, then he leaped of the roof and into the fray. He jumped in the middle of a group of outcasts and sliced them to pieces before they even knew what happened. He then began moving his way through the village, he still had to keep an eye on Stoick

He moved towards the position he last saw Stoick as fast as he could. However suddenly he saw two young children being backed into a corner by a Berserker with clear bloodlust.

Upon seeing this Hiccup got a quick vision of burned villages and dead people he had witnessed in Norn-occupied villages in Draconia. He would rather die than let something like that happen again. So he rushed towards the Berserker and jumped in-between him and the kids.

Astrid heard the Berserker laugh and turned around to see what was going on. During the fight she had lost track of Ryder and had been too preoccupied with defending her village. When she turned around she saw him again, shielding two young ones from a mad Berserker as he closed in on them.

"Do you really think you can stop me wimp?! I'll make a nice trophy out of your and their heads!" He laughed while pointing at Hiccup and the kids. Hiccup didn't move at all.

The Berserker swung his battle-axe, clearly intending to cleave Hiccup in half. Hiccup raised his sword and to the Berserker's great surprise blocked the axe. He then acted quickly and kicked his opponent's legs from under him, sending him face first into the ground.

He then quickly turned around and looked at the young children. "GO! GET OUT OF HERE!" Hiccup ordered. The kids quickly nodded and ran towards the great hall as fast as they could.

The fallen Berserker had meanwhile got back up and charged Hiccup again. The two locked their weapons together with a vicious clang. The Berserker was calling to all his strength to push Hiccup back. Hiccup held fast and kept his opponent busy. Another Berserker decided to step in and began charging Hiccup.

Astrid saw what the second one was doing and felt like she needed to help Ryder at once and began to move towards them as well.

Hiccup however saw him coming and switched his sword to his right hand while still keeping the weapons locked and aimed his left arm towards the second one that was approaching. He flicked his wrist upwards and in a split second a small but sturdy crossbow-bolt shot out of his arm mounted crossbow. The bolt flew right through the eyehole of the Berserker's helmet and pierced his skull. Killing him instantly. Hiccup then jumped backwards to break the lock him and the first Berserker. Without giving his opponent any time to think he launched forward again and batted the battle-axe away with the flat side of his sword. He leaped by his opponent's right side and flicked his left wrist downwards, extending his wrist-blades. He spun around and sliced the Berserker's neck with them, leaving him dead on the ground and Hiccup right in front of a stunned Astrid.

"Hey Astrid." Hiccup said.

Astrid didn't know what to say. She had just seen him kill two Berserkers like it was nothing. She now realised that when she said to her dad that she could take him, she was dead wrong. Before she could say anything to him he was already moving again. Running through the carnage of battle while striking down Outcasts and Berserkers in his path.

'Foreign armour, extensive battle skills, deadly weapons? We really don't know anything about this guy do we?" Astrid thought.

Hiccup move through the village looking for only one thing, or person to be more precise. Stoick Haddock.

"Come on, where is he." Hiccup said to himself. He then turned the corner and saw him, flanked by Angus Hofferson and Gobber. "Ah, there he is. And Angus and Gobber are with him. He's safe." Hiccup signed relieved.

"Alright then, with Stoick safe I can focus on other things. Like defending the village for instance…" Hiccup grinned beneath his helmet.

He then took off into the village to help out any Berkian in the fight and drive out the raiding Outcasts and Berserkers.

 **Berk village, late morning, 266 ADF**

The battle had been raging on for several hours now and Hiccup had been fighting non-stop. Right now there were three opponents trying to overwhelm him. Since during the battle he had proved to be a very dangerous opponent.

The middle one of the three charged Hiccup, he acted accordingly and blocked the blow with his sword and immediately hit his opponent on the fingers by extending his wrist-blades again. The outcast stumbled back and held his fingers to stop the bleeding. Then the other two moved in as well.

Hiccup blocked their swing by rapidly swinging his sword and pushed them back just as quickly as the first one. Speaking of him.

The first one had recovered from the finger slice and moved back onto Hiccup. Hiccup by now had had enough of these slow minded brutes and decided to do something that would definitely scare them of. He ducked under the Outcast's axe and kneed him in the stomach. The outcast doubled over and Hiccup took this opportunity to take one of the cylindrical devices from his belt, activate it and cram it in the Outcast's mouth. Then he threw the stunned Outcast back into his two friends, toppling all three over. The middle one's eyes were as wide as plates as he heard the strange object in his mouth ticking.

"Tastes like nom?" Hiccup sarcastically asked. Then the bomb exploded killing the three instantly with gruesome results. "Tastes like nom…" Hiccup concluded.

The surrounding attackers who saw this took this as a signal to run the hell away. All fled but one.

"You're going to pay for that mate." A gruff voice nearby said.

Hiccup turned to the sound of the voice and saw a giant of a man with a giant unkept beard and moustache, a Viking helmet with some really large horns and shoulder pads with spikes which looked like dragons teeth.

"You have been causing my men a lot of trouble today and killed a lot of them. I will not let that stand." The man said threatening.

Hiccup mulled over what he had said. He wasn't the Berserkers' leader because he was too old. That would make him Alvin the Treacherous, the leader of the Outcasts. If his intelligence was correct.

"Alvin the Treacherous I presume?" Hiccup asked.

"You got that right boyo. And now who would you be? You don't look like you're from around here, do you?" Alvin asked while stepping forward.

"Well you're right about that. And my name is on a need to know basis only." Hiccup shot back.

"Well then, I'll be having a nameless head as a trophy then." Alvin said, then he bellowed a loud battle-cry and charged Hiccup with all his might.

Hiccup ducked away from the swing and turned around, only to block another strike right away. Hiccup had been fighting for a long time now without any trained allies or Toothless, so he was getting tired and this wasn't going to be easy.

Hiccup tried to get in some blows but Alvin wasn't giving him any room to breathe. Their fight went on with blocked and parried slashes with no clear superiority on both sides. Hiccup had fought a lot of battles and opponents in his military career but due to the exhaustion and the lack of allies he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to win. He could however call in Toothless when it was absolutely necessary.

"You can't win boyo. Even if you defeat me, we've already won." Alvin smirked when their swords locked again.

"Don't credit yourself Alvin. The village still hasn't fallen and Stoick is still alive." Hiccup shot back, making another swing.

"Stoick?! Ha, you've got it all wrong boyo. You can't kill Stoick, even I couldn't at my prime age. But we can get the heir." Alvin taunted.

Hiccup's eyes widened under his helmet. 'They wouldn't…' He thought. "You didn't…" Hiccup asked.

"Ah don't worry boyo. She's still alive for the moment. Unlike you in a minute." Alvin laughed.

This got Hiccup's blood boiling, that girl had been through so much during her life. Being captured by these brutes was something she never should have experienced. Not on his watch.

"You are a dead man." Hiccup seethed to Alvin.

They clashed their sword together and Hiccup locked them with one hand and shot out with his other extending his wrist-blades and giving Alvin a cut across his dominant arm. Alvin didn't expect sharp blades to extend out of his opponents arm gauntlets. He backed away.

This was exactly what Hiccup needed, an opening. He jumped forward and head-butted Alvin onto the chin making him stagger backwards. Hiccup then delivered a powerful kick on Alvin's fingers holding the sword. Alvin was now defenceless.

Hiccup stabbed his sword in the ground and proceeded to punch the living daylights out of Alvin. And wit armoured gloves one punch hurt a lot. A punch from an angry Draconian trooper was just living hell.

Hiccup kept punching Alvin in the face and stomach, driving the once proud Outcast chief onto the ground. When he finally stopped and got his sword back out of the ground Alvin didn't groan or get up, he laughed.

"Haha, you still won't accomplish anything." Alvin laughed while sitting up onto his knees. His face was bloodied and bruised. He was likely missing some teeth and had some broken ribs as well. "You won't get that girl back you know. We've had her since the very beginning. She's very far away by now."

This did it for Hiccup, Alvin just signed his own death warrant. Hiccup stepped forward and hit Alvin in the face again with the hilt of his sword. Then he ducked under Alvin's arm, pointed his sword backwards… and struck.

Hiccup's sword punctured Alvin's back and erupted on the other side in his chest. Alvin coughed and gagged. He knew he was done for, beaten by someone he had no idea about what or who he was.

"Who the hell are you?" Alvin asked with a croaking and dying voice.

Hiccup pulled his sword back out and moved to stand right in front of Alvin with his sword in his left hand and his right hand raised to his left shoulder. He balled his right fist and flicked his wrist causing the blades to erupt again. Then he looked down at Alvin.

Hiccup leaned his head closer to Alvin's face and spoke quietly. "For the empire…"

Then he stood back up and struck his right arm over Alvin's neck, decapitating him.

Astrid, who was nearby saw everything. From the moment Ryder blew up three outcasts, to the duel with Alvin, to eventually Ryder beating Alvin and taking his head off. She was stunned, this man had a serious past. Because no person had ever beaten Alvin, not even Stoick much less beheaded him in a single swipe.

Hiccup breathed out. He had never been so wrong, the target wasn't Stoick. No, it was Hicca who was the target all along. And he didn't see it. He felt so stupid, he would slap himself if possible. But he needed to get her back at all costs. Nothing else mattered.

He turned around to see Astrid standing there mouth agar and dare he say it a slightly frightened expression. Hiccup didn't care however, he needed to call his best-friend and give chase to some kidnappers. So he did his trademark whistle.

The sound vibrated over the village, people stopped fighting immediately when they recognised the high, piercing whistle. They all knew the sound but hadn't heard it in a long time.

When the whistle ended their hung a silence over the village. Everyone dreaded that sound and they hoped and prayed to Odin that it wasn't what they thought it was. They were proven wrong when the same sound was heard from the forest as an answer and a jet-black blur shot into the sky. It made a loop and began heading straight for the village emitting its signature shriek.

"NIGHTFURY!" A random Viking shouted.

"GET DOWN!" Another continued and the entire village and the attackers ducked for cover. All but one.

Hiccup sheathed his sword and took off running. He jumped onto the rooftops and ran parallel with the path Toothless was going to follow. When Toothless flew very low through the village and was almost at Hiccup's position Hiccup jumped sideways of the roof doing a barrel roll right into Toothless' path. He had timed it so that he landed exactly into Toothless' saddle and when he was locked into place not a second later they both shot up again doing another loop and lining up one of the invaders' ships. A well place plasma blast was fired and the ship was smashed to pieces. Then they took off away from the island in pursuit of Hicca and her kidnappers.

Astrid and the village didn't even comprehend what just had happened. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, one moment there was a Nightfury flying towards the village, the next Ryder was running alongside it over the rooftops instead of hiding like he was going to catch it, then they saw him jump on top of it like it was the most normal thing in the world and flew off onto it like a mount.

What most didn't catch but Astrid did however was that the dragon was carrying a saddle and several packs. Many of which had the Draconian symbol stamped on it.

 **Sea just outside Outcast Island, around noon, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and Toothless had been flying for a while now. He know the most likely place to look for Hicca was Outcast Island, it was close by and it was much more defensible then Berserker Island. At least according to Imperial intelligence.

When they reached the island they saw that it was mostly abandoned, likely because everyone was back on Berk fighting. He did however see a Berserker ship docked at the port.

"Looks like somebody is home Toothless. Let's go say hello." Hiccup said.

Toothless looked back at him and nodded. Then they took a steep dive down towards the island and blasted the only manned guard tower they could find. When they touched down there was no resistance. The island seemed to be totally empty.

"Stay close Toothless…" Hiccup ordered and drew his sword.

The pair moved up the island and quickly reached the entrance to the underground caverns, where Hiccup thought was the most likely place they would keep Hicca. It was dark at first but soon they entered a more lit up area, and they didn't like what they saw.

Cages, dozens of them. All containing trapped dragons of some kind, all restrained by muzzles and chains. Each and every one of them looked miserable and Hiccup was confronted with the cruelty Vikings treated dragons.

Hiccup looked at all the different species, Nadders, Nightmares, Gronkles, Whispering Deaths, he even thought he saw a glimpse of a Changewing in one of the cages. He knew he couldn't leave them behind, it went against his training.

He approached one of the cages containing a Nadder and broke the lock with his sword. The Nadder backed away in fear, Hiccup just put down his sword and raised his arms to show the Nadder that he meant no harm. "Shhh, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you." Hiccup said with a comforting tone.

The Nadder stopped and looked at the strange man, then she noticed he was accompanied by a Nightfury. One of the most feared of her kind. Her eyes dilated slightly as the man approached slowly and kept repeating he meant no harm to her. 'Who are you and why would a human help us?' She thought.

As if able to read her thoughts Hiccup responded. "Don't worry, I'm going to help you. I'm going to set you free."

The Nadder looked at Toothless who gave a nod as encouragement. Hiccup was now right in front of her with his palm outstretched. Taking a leap of faith the Nadder pushed her nose into his open palm and purred in the touch. Her eyes were now fully dilated, Hiccup then removed the muzzle allowing the Nadder to move more freely. Then he moved to the chains on her legs and tail.

"Alright, give me a moment while I unlock these chains." Hiccup said. The Nadder bobbed her head up and down enthusiastically but otherwise remained still.

Hiccup pulled a knife out of his boot and started working on the locks on her feet and tail. Soon after they all popped open and the Nadder was free. As a means of gratitude Hiccup received a massive lick in the face.

"Yeah yeah, you're welcome girl." Hiccup said. "Could you do me a favour?" He asked. The Nadder nodded in response. "Can you help Toothless to free the other dragons? Breaking the locks will be much easier with your tail spikes."

The Nadder nodded again and wen to Toothless. Hiccup walked out of the cell as well and picked his sword back up on the way. "Alright Toothless, you two get the rest of these dragons out. I'll go find Hicca." Hiccup said.

Toothless and the Nadder nodded and immediately went to work.

Hiccup proceeded to search every cell for any indication of the Hooligan heir. He kept searching for about 20 minutes until he came at a door which he heard several voices behind. He kneeled at the door and listened.

"I must say master Dagur, it was a brilliant plan." A voice said.

"Yes, and now we've got ourselves a fortune. Letting the girl disappear is one thing but keeping the Hooligans busy while doing so was just brilliant of me wasn't it Savage?" Dagur glowered.

"Yes it was sir, but do you think it was a good idea to dispatch the girl the way we did?" Savage asked.

Hiccup growled, what had they done to Hicca were his thoughts.

"Of course, and they made me stupid rich for it. who cares about her, we were paid to let her disappear and we did. I don't care what happens to her now, only that I get my reward." Dagur said.

This did it for Hiccup, he had had enough. He stood up and violently kicked the door sending it flying into the room and smashing to pieces against the wall.

"HEY WHA…." Savage began but he was interrupted when Hiccup punched him hard in the face, sending him flying unconscious over the table in the room.

Hiccup stood in the door opening with his right fist still outstretched and his sword in his left hand. "Where is she?!" He demanded.

Dagur was taken aback and instinctively reached for his sword. A very big mistake. Hiccup saw what he was doing and launched forward smashing Dagur's hand making him drop the sword. Hiccup then hit him in the face with the hilt of his sword sprawling him over the table. Hiccup then sheathed his weapon and picked Dagur back up holding him right in his face by his collar.

"Where. Is. She?" Hiccup demanded again.

"Ha, you won't get anything from me!" Dagur snapped back. In response Hiccup hit him in the face several times.

"Where is she?!" Hiccup asked yet again.

Dagur spit out some blood and responded. "Screw you!"

Hiccup already thin patience had run dry at this point. He head-butted Dagur with the top of his helmet and then extended one pair of his wrist-blades. "Alright you fucker, you are going to tell me where she is or I swear to Thor I will rip you head off right here like I did with Alvin!" Hiccup said enraged.

Dagur's glare faltered under the threat and the proclamation that he beheaded Alvin the Treacherous. "Fine fine, I'll tell you." Dagur said quickly. "I sold her to some foreigners who looked like very big Vikings. They said they were called corn or something like that. That's all I know." Dagur rambled putting up a feeble smile.

This answer did however not lessen Hiccup's anger. "YOU SOLD HER TO THE NORN?!" He shouted. Dagur's smile vanished. It was clear to him this guy had some history with those guys and he was not happy.

And not happy he was indeed. Hiccup retracted his blades again, grabbed Dagur and swung him over his head into the table smashing it why a loud cry of rage.

"DAMMIT! WHY DID THEY HAVE TO GET INVOLVED?!" Hiccup shouted, further frightening an already battered Dagur. Then Hiccup turned to him again and grabbed his collar with his left hand. "You're lucky I'm needed elsewhere." He said. Then he leaned in closer and spoke in a threatening low voice. "Pray we do not meet again."

Then Hiccup punched him for the last time and released him. He ran outside the door and quickly found Toothless who had finished freeing all the dragons. "Come on Toothless! We need to move!" Hiccup said to Toothless in a hurry. Toothless nodded and quickly followed his rider. Before exiting the underground prison he looked back towards the dragons he freed, he already explained who he was and who his rider was and what they did. He explained that they were free now and could leave whenever they wanted. He gave them one last nod which they returned and shot off after Hiccup.

When the two were back on the surface of the island they quickly took off and made one last lap around the island.

Dagur was crawling his way towards the door to escape to his ship. If that guy was right and Alvin was really dead, Stoick and the rest of Berk were bound to come soon too. He crawled through the hole which was once the door to the room he was in and into the corridor. There he was met with a large group of very angry dragons who used to be imprisoned on the island and whom he usually taunted behind bars. His eyes widened and he knew he was done for.

Hiccup finished his lap around the island and watched with satisfaction when the island erupted in explosions and smoke from a pack of angry dragons. Many buildings were destroyed and the iconic cage from the kill-ring collapsed. Satisfied with his work he shot of with Toothless towards the west. Where he knew the Norn were most likely to be sailing. He knew they couldn't be far away.

 **Phew, finished at last. It took me a while and I'm not kidding I've been writing pieces of this chapter every day since the last one. But it is finished now.**

 **I do believe I took most of you by surprise with this chapter since I mislead you all into thinking something would happen to Stoick. Ha, plot twist everyone. Now really I've been planning this chapter for a very long time and I think it came out pretty well. Now for the next chapter I have an announcement. I am unsure when the next one will be published. I'll be leaving to work on a summer camp in about a week and when I'm back I'll be buried in work and I'm not sure if I'll be able to write during that time. If not then I hope I can finish one before I leave, but don't count on it too much. Otherwise I'll hopefully be writing again by the end of August. I'm terribly sorry but no worries, I'll finish it without a doubt.**

 **Reviews:**

 **KittyWithAKnife: Wow, that's a lot of compliments thank you. I'm not trying to make you explode, that would mean I'd lose fans. And I know you have a DP fanfic, I hate Mondays. I've been following that one since chapter 1. I also believe it was one of the first I started following. You awesome too girl.**

 **CartoonLoverBecky: yeah I know, and he'll get what's coming for him. Soon, definitely. At least after Hiccup found Hicca again and they realise who they truly are. HINT**

 **Grima: indeed but in some stories things first need to turn bad before they can turn good. And he'll be seen as an enemy by Berk. But about succeeding Stoick I don't know yet, food for thought!**

 **assasins death: well, they are shocked alright. But in a different way you suspected I believe.**

 **mc arno: no, Hiccup will not be succeeding his adoptive father as emperor, and for several reasons. One, he is adopted and so can make no claim to the throne. Two, Meary is older than him and laws of succession say the oldest child is the heir to the throne. And three, Hiccup doesn't want to lead an empire. His legion is more than enough for him.**

 **Secret: can I get back from under my desk now?**

 **Guest: yes…pity he hasn't got them… yet… HINT.**

 **JHawkins: thank you, and also thank you for advertising. Yes, I saw.  
For anyone interested: this guy made a story on which I did some proofreading. Go check it out. This Changes Everything from JHawkins.**

 **Guest: you're welcome.**

 **AkaDeca: well, if you like cliff-hangers… here's another one.**

 **Makenna: Hicca will be the first to figure it out. The rest will follow when back on Berk.**

 **Zidankingdomkeeper: YES, and I'm so glad someone noticed that detail before next chapter. I will say he still has it but not on his wrist. He has if hanging on a chain around his neck together with a metal pendant of the imperial insignia. I'll play a part in the next chapter.**

 **So I hope you've all enjoyed. I've been .**

 **Dismissed.**


	11. Chapter 11: Sibling reunion

**I am not dead. I know it has been over a month but I warned you guys it would take a long time. But now I'm back with what I think is a long awaited chapter. Without further ado…**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Chapter 11: Sibling reunion**

 **Barbaric Archipelago Sea, mid-afternoon, 266 ADF**

Hiccup had been flying for a few hours now, and still he had found no trace of the Norn ship he was looking for. 'Where could they be? They can't be far away.' Hiccup thought. He kept looking in every direction as far as the horizon would let him. He had to find her at all costs, or he would have failed.

Then suddenly he saw something familiar heading his way. A perfect V-formation of dragons. His backup had finally arrived. Seven dragons closed in on his position, when they were close enough for Hiccup to see who they were he saw that they ware from the Draconian fourth legion.

"Commander!" The leader shouted. "What's going on sir? We thought you would still be at Berk."

"There has been a development, I made a mistake. I misjudged the supposed target of the coup d'état on Berk. I thought it would be the chief himself, but it was the heir who was targeted." Hiccup said to the sergeant. They were now flying side by side in the air.

"But sir, why are you here then?" The sergeant asked.

"Because she was abducted during a raid. I tried to catch up with the kidnappers but when I arrived she had already been sold to the Norn. And now I'm trying to find their ship. Speaking of ships, where is yours?" Hiccup asked.

"As you know we were send after you to provide cover if necessary. We were sent out to patrol, but our airship saw an unidentified ship earlier and went after it. This may be the ship you're looking for sir." The sergeant explained.

Hiccup felt a spark of hope. He knew Draconia would sent some reinforcements after him and now he was very glad he had them. "Then take me back to your ship sergeant, at once!" Hiccup ordered.

"SIR, YES SIR!" The troops from the scouting wing shouted.

They immediately banked to the west and lead Hiccup to their command ship. After several minutes of flying at high speeds they reached their destination. Two Bastion-class airships could be seen following a single Norn ship. On the side of the airship balloons one could clearly see the Draconian insignia that identified them as allies. They could also see a Norn ship sailing in the distance.

Hiccup and the scouting wing quickly landed inside the leading airship. The Bastion-class was a standard air-transport with a few side guns and a big hangar bay to accommodate all kinds of dragons and troops alike. They were however not equipped to transport the heavier ordinance or artillery, they were just used for troop transports. Hiccup dismounted Toothless and ran to the bridge as fast as he could. Hiccup knew Draconia had sent backup and from what he had seen he already knew who to expect. Once he reached the bridge the two troops guarding the door stepped aside and Hiccup almost flew through the door and came face to face with the commanding officer who (as expected) turned out to be a familiar face.

"Valentine!" Hiccup exclaimed.

"Hiccup? What the hell are you doing here? You should be on Berk." Valentine asked.

"We've had a development." Hiccup said whilst taking off his helmet. "I made a mistake." He said sadly and angered.

"Wow wow… what the hell happened Hic?" Valentine asked.

"Intelligence was right about the attempt at a coup d'état, but when I was investigating I misinterpreted the target. This morning there was a raid on the village and I thought they would go for the chief. But instead it turns out they went for his young daughter. And I didn't find out until it was too late and she was far away by then."

"Ah, and so now you're tracking her?" Valentine deduced.

"Exactly!" Hiccup said. He then strode forward towards the glass of the airship's bridge. "But during my chase I learned some interesting things. Most importantly where she is now…" Hiccup said while pointing at the single Norn ship sailing away.

"Dare I ask how the Norn got involved in this?" Valentine asked joining Hiccup at the window.

"I don't know that, but it doesn't matter now. They won't leave here alive." Hiccup growled. He was very angry at the moment. Venting his frustration on Dagur had done little to improve his mood.

"Agreed, so what do you want us to do?" Valentine asked, his eyes never leaving the Norn ship.

"We engage the ship, sent our riders at it, free the girl and when she's out destroy the ship." Hiccup stated, then he turned face with Valentine. "You stay here and command the fleet. Don't let the gunfire hit the ship directly until we're out! I'll lead the charge."

"Alright then Hiccup." Valentine said extending his arm which hiccup firmly grasped by the forearm. "Let's blow them to bits."

Both men grinned at this. The Norn on that ship were as good as dead.

 **(Meanwhile on the Norn ship)**

 **Barbaric Archipelago Sea, mid-afternoon, 266 ADF**

When she woke up her vision was all blurry, she could hear several gruff voices but she couldn't understand what they were saying. When she got her bearings and her vision cleared u she saw that she was in a small prison cell shackled to the wall. She also noticed that she was rocking up and down, like on a ship.

Now that Hicca had come to her senses she began to have a better idea of where she was and more importantly, how she got here. She remembered being in the forge at the beginning of the raid, helping distribute weapons. It was her job after all. Then suddenly someone broke in and before she knew what had happened everything went black. And now she's on a strange boat with even stranger people.

They looked like Vikings but they were all coated in a lot of furs and partial metal plating. They looked a bit like the size of her father, only rougher and slightly evil.

She then began listening in on their conversations as her hearing had finally cleared up.

"So why did we have to come to this little piece of dirt again?" a gruff voice asked.

"Didn't I already explain it a hundred times already? We need these Viking idiots to start a war with 'you know who'. So we make sure enough tribes are hostile to them so they work together to attack." A second voice explained.

"Ah yes, and then when they do Draconia will need to split its forces to counter the attack and fight on two fronts. And then we can take the empire." The first voice replied.

Now Hicca was confused. They were talking about the Draconian Empire no doubt. But Ryder never mentioned anything about a military much less a war. What the hell was going on?

"Yes finally! And that is why the girl needs to disappear. Without her the balance will shift in our favour. And when the empire falls this archipelago will stand no chance against the Norn horde with superior Draconian weapons!" The second voice cheered.

"But what are we going to do whit the girl?" The first voice asked.

Hicca's breath hitched in her throat. What about her?

"Bah, just sell her again in the homeland. All that matters is that she's gone, I'm sure someone will find a use for her…

Now Hicca was beyond scared, she just heard she was to be sold in a faraway land into slavery, or worse….

Then, outside the ship in the distance she could hear several bangs. Like explosions going off, seconds later she heard a whistling sound. Like something coming at them at high speed.

Suddenly the ship got rocked by several explosions, the next moment her captors were screaming and chaos was total.

"WHAT THE… THEY'RE HERE!" One of the Norn screeched.

"TO ARMS!" Another ordered.

The boat shook and trembled with more explosions and now Hicca could also hear several dragon-like roars all around her.

'What in the name of Thor is happening?' She thought in a panic.

 **Barbaric Archipelago Sea, mid-afternoon, 266 ADF**

Hiccup had told Valentine to open fire on the Norn ship once he and the other riders had launched from the hangar bay. He and about a dozen other riders were now flying towards the Norn ship while the Draconian gunfire rained down.

"Alright guys! You all know what to do. Distract them for long enough so I can get the hostage out!" He ordered to the rest of the riders.

They then all dove down, dragons roaring as loud as they could. Hiccup took charge and dive-bombed on his first pass taking out some of the weapons mounted on the deck, he then shot back up as the other riders began following his example and strafed or dive-bombed the ship. Some of them even jumped off and engaged the Norn by themselves while their dragons watched their backs and fought alongside them.

This was exactly what Hiccup was planning to do as well. "Toothless, I need you to keep circling the ship and assist the troops until I come back. Then I need you to pick us up as soon as possible. Okay?" Hiccup asked Toothless.

Toothless nodded to his best friend. "I've got your back."

The duo then came in for another pass, Hiccup went into a standing position as if he was surfing Toothless and waited for the right moment to jump. When Toothless made a low pass right next to the ship Hiccup jumped and incidentally landed right on top of a Norn berserker, who was quickly dealt with by his wrist blades. Rising up he drew his sword and made his way through any Norn in his path…that was still alive.

Hicca heard fighting sound from the confinements of her prison cell, she desperately wanted to know what was going on. She had heard her captors scream many things, from the obvious DRAGONS! To Draconians and a lot more things. Right now she was scared for what might happen because she realised that if these Norn were so scared of Draconians…should she be too?

She remembered everything Ryder had told about his homeland but he never mentioned anything like this. Then she heard several shouts coming from outside the door of the room the cells were in. There was stumbling and slashing sounds with the occasional pained shout, then the door blew out of its hinges and came sailing across the room with a very dead Norn guard on top of it. But what entered next scared her maybe even more.

In the doorway now stood a tall man in a strange green-brown armour with a lot of attachments and markings. She noticed a familiar symbol on the shoulder-guards. The Draconian insignia.

The man surveyed the room seemingly looking for something. Hicca took this chance to look at him more closely. The armour the man wore was exotic to say the least. Heavy steel and leather boots reaching to just below his knees and armour patches covered the knees while the rest of his legs were covered with a brown material. The man had utility belt containing various tools and weapons. Throwing knives, daggers, something that looked like crossbow bolts, several pouches and cylindrical boxes. He also had a weird looking skirt hanging from the back of his legs.

The man's chest was covered by some sort of chestplate made of an unknown material protecting his front and back. On his shoulders and arm were shoulder guards with the Draconian emblem, upper arm protection and elbow guards. All made from the unknown material and painted in some sort of camouflage pattern. Then there was his helmet.

The helmet was simply put, terrifying. It looked like some sort of brown-green metal and leather helmet that covered his entire head and face. There was some sort of filter where his mouth should be, a rim above the eyes and a green tinted glass visor underneath the rim. Simply put this man looked dangerous. And that sword he carried looked dangerously sharp.

'Wait, that sword… I know that sword.' Hicca thought. 'That's the sword Ryder carries…'

Just then Hiccup had spotted Hicca in the cell chained to the wall. "Hicca! There you are." He said relieved and made a beeline for the prison.

"Ryder? Is that you?" Hicca asked.

"Yes, it's me. Hang on I'm going to get you out." Hiccup said.

Hiccup took a step back from the cell door and took a deep breath. Then he kicked the lock with as much force as he could, shattering it like glass and swinging the door open.

Hicca sat there wide eyed at the sheer display of power. "Wow…" She breathed.

Hiccup stopped for a second because of the look on her face, he looked back and then down at his boots. "Gronkle iron plating on most of the boot. No big deal." Hiccup said nonchalantly.

"Uh huh…" Hicca just nodded having no idea what he meant.

"Let's get these shackles off. Extend your hands please." Hiccup said.

Hicca did as she was asked. Hiccup then took a small knife from his belt and proceeded to pick the lock on the shackles since it was too dangerous to just break them off.

When her restraints were removed Hicca backed away from Hiccup and looked him dead in the eyes. Or at least where she thought his eyes were since that freakish helmet covered his entire head.

"Okay, now I've had enough of this weirdness. What in Thor's name is going on here and what are you wearing? I thought you were just a traveller!" Hicca ranted.

"Wow, slow down Hicca. Look I know this is a lot to take in and I can't explain right now because we need to get of this boat as fast as possible. But I promise I will tell you everything soon, I owe you that much. For now you'll have to trust me." Hiccup said while looking towards the open door and listening to the screaming and explosions happening in the background.

Hicca bit her lip but decided it was best to trust him for now. "Alright, let's go…"

Hiccup nodded and both of them swiftly made an exit out of the room, dashing through the corridors of the Norn ship while dodging the dead bodies left behind by hiccup. Suddenly another live Norn guard came around the corner. Thinking fast Hiccup jumped forward and delivered a spinning slash at the guard's throat before he knew what happened. Hiccup and Hicca kept running while the guard fell down choking. Hicca glanced back for just a moment, she now began to understand how dangerous Ryder actually could be.

Once they reached the stairway leading to the deck Hiccup stopped running and turned to Hicca. Confused she stopped running as well and looked at Hiccup.

He laid a hand on her shoulder and spoke. "Hicca, when we're on the deck I'm going to ask you to do something Viking culture will literally see as heresy, but I need you to trust me and do exactly as I say if we want to get out of here. Understood?"

Hicca just nodded, right now she just wanted answers and she figured that doing what he says will get her just that.

Well, was she shocked when they arrived on the deck.

Everywhere she looked she could see dragons flying around and engaging the Norn forces. Many had riders, some hadn't but all did have some sort of saddle. Around the deck were more Norn and what she thought were Draconians. Though they looked different then Ryder did. The armour looked to be made of the same materials but the others was more white with a yellow decal, the helmet was different too. Instead of Ryder's brown green helmet theirs was white and yellow without the rim above what seemed to be the visor. The mouthpiece was different too with two filter like things on either side of the chin. And the eyes seemed to be a black T-shaped visor. Again they all looked intimidating.

An explosion on the side of the ship got her attention next. She saw a faint smoke trail leading into the sky and several more projectiles raining down. When she looked up for the source of the projectiles she nearly fainted. Up in the sky were two flying boats shooting those explosives at the boat she was on. What drew her attention even more was the Draconian emblem on the side. Okay now she really wanted answers.

Hiccup had quickly been dealing with two stray Norn guards who were in his way. Then he let out the signature call of his best friend.

Hicca heard the distinct sound of a night-fury and turned around only to see one hovering over Ryder and landing in front of them. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, she was mere meters away from the most dangerous dragon known to Vikings.

Hiccup then jumped on Toothless' back and motioned for Hicca to get on.

"Come on! Hop on!" He shouted to her.

Hicca just stood there rooted to the ground. She was officially done with this, everything she was ever told about the world and the laws of nature were just thrown out of the window in a matter of minutes. "ARE YOU INSANE?!" She cried out.

Hiccup honestly could have expected such a reaction, she was raised by Vikings after all. "No Hicca, I'm not. Dragons aren't what you think they are, I can show you. But you have to trust me." Hiccup said extending his hand as an invitation. Toothless also motioned with his head to get on so they could leave.

Hicca knew she didn't have much of a choice and she also knew that this boat was going down no matter what. So she complied with his less than subtle order and got on Toothless' saddle in front of Hiccup.

Once she was safely in place Toothless wasted no time and shot up with a powerful beat of his wings. Hicca screamed and forced her eyes closed. Everywhere on the Norn ship the Draconians evacuated as fast as they could. Their respective dragons scooped them up or they just jumped overboard.

Meanwhile Toothless had reached a safe altitude and stabilised his flight in an easy glide. Hiccup relaxed in the saddle and tapped Hicca on the shoulder.

"Hicca, open your eyes…" Hiccup said.

Hicca just violently shook her head and remained squeezing the saddle in a death grip. Hiccup in response laid a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"It's alright, I've got you. You won't fall." Hiccup encouraged.

Hicca hesitantly opened her eyes and was stunned by the view. They were gliding high above the sea and more riders were flying alongside them. It was a sight to behold.

'So this is what it is to fly?' She thought.

 **(On the airship's bridge)**

Valentine lowered his binoculars, he had just seen Hiccup and the rest of the riders evacuate. Now it was his turn.

"They're out! All batteries fire at will! Destroy that boat!" He ordered.

His command was heeded and only twenty seconds later every gun on both airships were spewing out a continuous stream of artillery fire. Raining death down on their mortal enemies.

Hicca's attention was drawn by the loud bangs coming from the Draconian airships. She saw multiple projectiles flying down at the Norn boat. Making it go up in a massive explosion.

The pair then flew into the back hangar of the leading airship, leaving the battlefield behind. Inside the hangar it was like a beehive of activity, people were rushing everywhere as more dragons and their riders touched down. Some of the riders and dragons needing medical attention were treated and others were checked up just to be safe. Hicca was so transfixed with the sight that she didn't realise Hiccup had already dismounted Toothless and was grabbing something from the side.

She only realised when he was standing in front of her. That moment she just jumped of Toothless and hid behind Hiccup, still mildly afraid of the sleek black dragon.

"He's not going to hurt you Hicca. None of them are." Hiccup chuckled and pointed to the other dragons in the hangar. Some were watching her with mild curiosity.

Toothless just sat there like a dog with big dilated eyes and watched the young girl as she hid behind his best friend. She looked very familiar for some reason.

"He…He's not?" Hicca asked weakly.

Hiccup turned around to face her and put the blanket around her shoulders. Seeing that she was getting cold as the adrenaline wore off. "No Hicca, he's very friendly in fact. But I believe it is best if we first talk for a moment, to clear some things up." Hiccup said.

Hicca nodded at this. She was desperate for some answers. Hiccup then took her and lead them out of the hangar and through the corridors of the ship. Occasionally encountering other Draconians but to Hicca's surprise they stepped out of the way and even saluted to them when they passed. Hiccup then led them in a room with a few bunks and chairs. Hicca sat down on one of the bunks while Hiccup took one of the chairs and sat down with his arms leaning on the back rest.

"Alright, I know you may have a lot of questions so what do you want to know?" Hiccup asked on a gentle tone, still wearing his helmet.

"Who the hell are you people? I mean who are you really?" Hicca asked sceptically.

Hiccup signed knowing that she indirectly had called him a liar. "When I was on Berk I didn't tell the full truth about Draconia. The truth is that our nation has been fighting a war for the past 90 years with the very people that had you imprisoned. What you just saw was the Draconian Imperial military, the main fighting force opposing the Norn. I am a part of them as well." He explained.

"So you weren't just a traveller on berk, were you?" Hicca asked.

"No, I was sent to Berk for a reason. We had learned that some were plotting to overthrow your father from the throne of Berk, and for the sake of political stability in the Barbaric Archipelago I was sent to prevent that from happening. Only I made the mistake of misjudging the intended target." Hiccup said regretfully.

"What do you mean?" Hicca asked.

"I thought they would go straight for your father and take him out to grab power. I realised too late that should have been protecting you." Hiccup explained.

Hicca nodded in understanding and proceeded with her next question. "And who are you really?"

Hiccup was about to answer that question when suddenly there was a knock on the door. He motioned for Hicca to wait a second and turned to the door.

"Who is it?" He asked.

"It's Valentine." Was heard outside of the door.

"Oh, come in then." Hiccup answered.

A moment later a tall man with black buzz cut hair wearing the white and yellow coloured armour stepped in. He had his helmet hanging by his belt and his armour looked more or less in the same category as Ryder's. Complete with the strange skirt. What was different however was the big orange coloured metal plates over his right shoulder.

Valentine looked up at the two. "Hey I just came to check if our guest was all…." But he stopped mid-sentence and began looking at Hiccup then at Hicca then back at Hiccup and so on.

Hicca giggled slightly at Valentine's antics. His behaviour and his expression did look a bit ridiculous.

"What's the matter Valentine? Is something wrong?" Hiccup asked.

"Yeah dude, do you realise how much you two look alike?" Valentine said.

Hiccup and Hicca snapped their heads at each other. They really didn't expect that to come out of Valentine.

Hiccup looked closer to Hicca and carefully analysed her. Then his head rose a little in realisation. "You're right, we do!" Hiccup said surprised. "I'm surprised I never noticed.

"Uh what is going on?" Hicca asked confused because she had never seen Hiccup's face.

"Mate, take off your helmet." Valentine said with his arm crossed.

Hiccup did as he was told and unlocked his helmet. He then placed both hands on the sides and lifted the helmet of his head.

Hicca's eyes grew wider than anyone could think possible. Before her sat an auburn haired young man who looked almost exactly like her, same hair, face and most importantly the same emerald green eyes.

"H…How is that possible." Hicca asked. Hiccup just remained silent, he really didn't know what to say.

Then Valentine jumped in, he knew Hiccup's story and how he came to Draconia. "I'm sorry, miss can I ask you a question?" Hicca nodded. "Did you by any chance have a lost brother or maybe cousin by any chance?"

Hiccup's eyes widened, he had understood what Valentine was asking. He may have just found his long lost family.

"Huh, yeah I do actually. A brother but how would you know that?" Hicca asked.

"What would his name be?" Valentine continued.

"Hiccup would be his name." Hicca said. Hiccup gasped, this could not be happening. "I was named after him. As a memory, because I looked so much like him."

Valentine looked at a stunned Hiccup. It really was true.

"Well Hicca then I think you should look another time at the man in front of you." Valentine said with a smile.

Hicca looked back in front of her and saw the man she knew as Ryder with wide eyes. Then it dawned on her. "Wait… are you…"

"My name, my true name… is Hiccup, or at least that is what we think it is." Hiccup said. He then took the small chain around his neck and lifted it out of his armour. On it was a small pendant of the Draconian insignia and… a small bracelet. He then took the chain off and put it in Hicca's hand. "That chain was the only thing I had on me when I was found. They thought the engraving represented my name."

Hicca looked at the bracelet which was no bigger than a small babies' wrist. Engraved on it were the words Hiccup H. H. III.

She looked at it with tears in her eyes and reached for her own necklace which held the very same bracelet she wore as a baby. With almost the exact same engravings, Hicca H. H. IV.

Right now she was shaking with the revelation. Her brother was alive. "But…this means that…" She stuttered while looking up at Hiccup who by this point had stood up and had walked in front of her with the same look of revelation and brotherly love in his eyes.

"I'm your brother…" He finished for her.

Hicca couldn't take it anymore and she flung herself around her long lost brother's shoulders, crying of happiness. Hiccup gladly returned the hug and held her as if he never wanted to let go of her ever again.

"Thank you…ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou…" Hicca kept repeating. She thanked every god in existence that her brother was still alive.

"I never thought this day might come. The day I found my family again." Hiccup said while still holding her very tight. Then an idea formed in his head. "Valentine, set course for the capitol. Full speed." He ordered.

"Will be done sir." Valentine answered and with that left the room and sped to the bridge. Several moments later the two siblings could feel the ship changing course and hear the engines speeding up. They were on their way.

Hiccup and Hicca eventually released each other from their death-grips and sat down on the bunk.

"I have so many questions…" Hicca said.

"And I will answer them all." Hiccup replied with a smile.

Hiccup then began telling the entire story from his youth to this moment. The true story.

Hicca listened intently when he told his life story. From his earliest memories in the palace from which she was astounded to learn that he was actually raised by the imperial royal family. To his meeting with Toothless at age five, his adventures around the city with Valentine, his years in the workshops just like she worked in the forge under Gobber. The things he made and the experiences in a foreign nation. All down to the moment when he was old enough to enlist in the military.

Since he had then known Toothless for years already he was trained as a dragon rider and a soldier. He told her he eventually was placed in the third legion and fought many battles in his time. The one which interested her the most was the battle with the Red Death, she now understood why the raids had ended. The Draconians had actually liberated them from the raids, and no-one even knew. Hiccup explained that they took her out because the raids began targeting Draconian trade routes and this was a no-go during they tracked down the nest and solved the problem.

After that he told her how he eventually ranked up and became the legion's current commander, giving him an even higher status in the imperial ranks. He told everything up to the point he was sent to Berk.

"And the rest as you would say is history." Hiccup finished.

"Wow…just wow. You've done a lot in your life. I wish my life was so interesting." Hicca said dejected.

"If you're talking about your treatment on Berk don't worry. I'll make sure that it changes." Hiccup said with a slightly dark look in his eyes.

"But I still wonder, who would want to overthrow dad?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup frowned and reached for a cylinder on his belt. "I know who would, and you're not going to like this." He said. He then opened the cylinder and took out several papers. "I recovered these documents from Outcast Island when I was looking for you. They contain some sensitive information…"

He gave the documents to his sister who read them thoroughly. She almost couldn't believe her eyes when she saw who wrote and signed the letters and what was in them. "I can't believe it. I know Spitelout had always been a little envious about dad but hiring the Outcasts and the Berserkers ta attack Berk and kidnap me so he could take power?! I never would have guessed." Hicca said very surprised.

"I understand this can't be easy, betrayed by your own uncle of all people. Huh, and it seems he's my uncle as well. I'm not going to hate him less though." Hiccup said while taking the documents and putting them back in the cylinder.

"Well, you are right about that." Hicca answered.

"We'll fix this mess. But first, how about we go make some friends with the crew?" Hiccup asked.

"You mean I can go talk to them? But what if they don't like me? I'm not one of them." Hicca said worried.

"That has never stopped me. Don't worry they'll love you!" Hiccup encouraged.

"O…okay." Hicca said.

The two siblings then left and made their way towards the Hangar. To meet a certain Nightfury and meet some other Draconians.

 **(Several days later)**

 **Northern Draconian sea, afternoon, 266 ADF**

Hicca was hanging around with some of the soldiers of the fourth legion whom she learned were commanded by Hiccup's friend Valentine. In the few days she was here she had made good friends with them and their scaly fire breathing companions. Dragons weren't all that bad actually, they were just misunderstood. Take Toothless for example, the lizard was more of a giant cat then a murderous beast, and so were the others. Hiccup was right, it didn't matter she was a Viking, everyone was friendly towards her. She even got some offers for a flight. She oddly felt at home.

Hiccup and Valentine were at the edge of the Hangar watching. Hiccup with a wide smile on his face.

"She seems to like it here Hiccup." Valentine said. "Almost like she's one of us."

"Hmm… in my book she is one of us Valentine." Hiccup answered.

"Happy you found her?" Valentine asked.

"Very! I'm almost glad I made that mistake. Otherwise I might never have known. And now she's here, having the time of her life with the dragons." Hiccup said as he watched her playing tag with a Nadder.

"She could be one of us you know…" Valentine said.

"Maybe, but she has to make her own choices. Just like I told her." Hiccup said.

"Want to make a bet on it?" Valentine asked playfully.

"We'll see Valentine. We'll see." Hiccup answered.

 **It is done. Phew, long one. My hands are sweating.**

 **Anyways you all now realised I'm back and ready to write again. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as it was likely a long awaited one. I hope I captured the moment right because I was listening to so many teary soundtracks on repeat writing this. Hope it worked. Also for reference how the fourth legion looks, search for the** **327th star corps. They were inspired by them.**

 **So consider this chapter a little back to school gift from me. (Evil laughter) Since I don't have to go for another 3 weeks. Yay College. So I'll have a bit more time to write (sheers).**

 **Also in the last chapter a lot of people seemed to thing Dagur was dead. I never confirmed nor denied that. So who knows? Also I hit 101 reviews last chapter HOORAH!**

 **Reviews:**

 **assasins death: heart-warming review as always. But really when I write I tend to leave a lot of little details that might seem insignificant in the beginning but they do have a larger meaning. Good luck finding them.**

 **KittyWithAKnife: Thank you! You are amazing too!**

 **Grima: well exactly like this.**

 **Ghost Dragon Master: you are very perceptive because that's exactly what will happen. But who'll win?**

 **Secret: oh yes, a lot more Draconian empire.**

 **mc arno: maybe, maybe not. That would be spoilers.**

 **xxBrainZ: I thought so too since I never found something like this I thought, let's do it myself.**

 **Thearizona: well I hope this chapter answered some of your questions. And thanks.**

 **DYING: I mostly just write as a hobby. But thanks anyway, it means a lot to me.**

 **JHawkins: yup, Hiccup had bigger problems and really why would I not kill off some major character. It's fun!**

 **Jj: uh that's kind of hard to do. But I appreciate the enthusiasm.**

 **Klatuveratanectu1701: it was all part of the plan. You're welcome by the way.**

 **Makenna: oh stop it you…**

 **orca3553: well if you mean by doomed gutted and exploded then yes.**

 **Anyways thank you so much for reading and until next time. I've been**

 **Dismissed**


	12. Chapter 12: Decisions

**Another chapter for your hungry minds. I am normally supposed to ramble here but nah… Read the authors note instead. (You really should!)**

 **Enjoy**

 **Chapter 12: Decisions**

 **(About a week after Hicca's rescue)**

 **Northern Draconian coast, just outside the Capitol, morning, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and Valentine were standing on the command-bridge waiting. Earlier they had sent a message terror to announce their arrival to docking control and they were awaiting their landing clearance.

"We're almost home. Has your sister seen it already?" Valentine asked.

"No, last time I checked she was still sleeping. I did tell her about the city but seeing it is a whole other experience." Hiccup said.

"We'll be breaking through the clouds in a few minutes. If she hurries she'll see one of the most beautiful sights of the journey." Valentine mused.

Like the saying: 'speak of the devil', the younger Haddock chose this exact moment to open the door to the bridge and walk in. Hiccup and Valentine both turned their heads in a greeting.

"Speaking of the devil." Hiccup chuckled. "Morning Sis, you're just in time."

"Huh, just in time for what?" Hicca asked with her eyes half closed.

"Well someone isn't awake yet." Valentine laughed. "We're about to arrive in the Imperial capitol. We thought you might enjoy the view."

Hicca moved forward to stand with her brother and his friend. Hiccup then looked and gestured outside of the bridge windows as they were about to break cloud cover.

Hicca gasped at the sight before her. The entire Draconian capitol was visible in front of her, great white buildings and towers everywhere. Broken by the occasional garden or park, it was large enough to fit almost the entire island of Berk in its great walls. Nearly every major building was decorated with a Draconian flag or banner. And everywhere she looked she could see dragons flying around with and without humans, she could also spot several airships as they were called flying around or docked on one of the several towers spread around the city.

Hicca stepped closer to the windows eyes wide in awe. On the edges of the city she could see the great workshops Hiccup had told her about. They were like massive factories attached to what looked like dry-docks for airships. She could even see several still under construction. When she looked down she could see the people down in the streets running around doing their daily business, not even giving them a second glance. When looking around she spotted several large buildings not far from the workshops containing large open areas. Like landing platforms.

Looking at these platforms and the surrounding buildings she deduced these must be the capitol based training camps for the military. She saw several groups of people all wearing the same armour marching uniformly to their destination. Countless rows of troopers waiting to be shipped to the frontline with perfect discipline. Only now did she understand the scale of the conflict Hiccup had told her about.

"Magnificent isn't it?" Hiccup said standing next to her with his arms crossed and looking at the city.

"I never knew Berk was so small…" Hicca said.

"Hmm, call it the product of 266 years of expansion. The crown jewel of the empire." Hiccup said with pride. "Do you want to know where I grew up?" He asked.

Hicca looked up to her brother and nodded.

Hiccup pointed his finger to one of the largest buildings in the middle of the city. "Right there, in the Imperial palace. Home of the ruling family." He said. The palace was a giant white building with many balconies and a large entrance decorated with carved pillars.

"Woah…" Were Hicca's only words.

"Hmm, and looks like were going there right now." Valentine suddenly said. Both Haddocks looked at him. "We just got landing permission from docking control. We're going to palace dock 5."

"And what about the other ship?" Hicca asked while turning around to see the other ship that was with them.

"They got a separate message from docking control. Look, they are already breaking off course." Valentine explained. "Seems like they are going to the military complex. Likely to restock in ammo and change personnel. They that ship will fly out to the front lines again."

"Oh, so these kind of airships are like transports?" Hicca mused.

"They're part troop carriers part destroyers. Their main purpose is to transport troops and dragons, when we're moving other types of equipment and supplies we use those types." Hiccup said while pointing at a different type of airship.

This one didn't have the large cabin underneath like the one they were on now. Instead it was wider and seemed to have storage racks underneath. To carry large boxes it seemed.

"Okay, it certainly looks different. Is that what you use to move your cannons?" Hicca asked.

"Exactly, they are called 'Harrowers'. They are mostly unarmed and never go too close to the frontline. They just pick up the goods and drop them wherever they are needed." Hiccup explained.

"Oh, okay." Hicca said.

"Come, we're about to land. Grab your things and meet me at the front ramp." Hiccup said without thinking.

"Hic… I have everything with me remember. You picked me up on a Norn ship." Hicca said with a flat face.

Hiccup stopped walking for a moment and realised his mistake. "Oh… right, of course." He said.

Soon they were right above the palace dock, once they were in position Hicca could hear the engines slowing down and something mechanical turning. Like large metal cogwheels.

When looking at the outside one could see that the airship was lowering and it was deploying six large landing legs to stabilize itself on the dock. Once the ship touched down the legs creaked under the pressure of the airships weight but held fast. They had landed.

Hicca and her brother had now reached the frontal loading ramp with Toothless as well. Hiccup had now put his helmet back on, like it was a habit. Hicca had been a bit nervous when they landed, the sounds were very foreign to her. Then the doors opened and the ramp lowered so they could exit.

Hicca followed her brother and Toothless as they made their way into the palace. When she looked back she could see Valentine exiting with a few other troops exchanging a few words. He would likely follow them soon.

They walked deeper into the palace, Hicca experiencing the grandeur of the place for the first time. Gaping in awe she was humbled to be able to walk here. Though the palace was fairly accessible for the normal people, the floors she was on were normally restricted for people in the lower Imperial hierarchy.

They walked through several halls and catwalks when they finally came to a large door leading back outside to a large balcony. It was styled like a garden with a pond and a few trees for as far she could see.

The door was flanked by several troopers in a white-red armour seemingly standing guard duty. They looked at her for a minute but Hiccup gave them the all clear signal and they let them pass. They walked onto the balcony only to see a single person present sitting underneath a tree by the pond. Under the tree sat a girl who looked to be a few years older than Hiccup himself. The girl had long dark blonde hair that reached to her shoulders and blue eyes. She was dressed casually in a blue tunic and brown pants with some sturdy leather boots. You would almost say she was a normal girl from the city if not for the platinum coloured crown around her ears and forehead keeping the hair out of her eyes. Hicca didn't know who this was but Hiccup immediately recognised his adoptive sister princess Maery. Though she didn't look aware of their presence being too caught up in her book.

"Huh, that's the Mae I know. Too caught up in reading to notice her surroundings." Hiccup chuckled.

Maery was visibly startled by this, as she lightly jumped. Then she looked up to see the familiar armour and helmet of her beloved adoptive-brother. "Hiccup!" She said delighted.

Hiccup chuckled and took his helmet off which he clipped on his belt. Only to catch Maery who had come barrelling into his arms, her book forgotten. He happily returned the hug.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still in the Archipelago." Maery asked.

"Well… there have been some developments…" Hiccup said scratching the back of his head.

Now that Maery had released Hiccup she noticed the girl behind Hiccup whom she hadn't noticed before. She took a step closer to get a better look at her.

"Hiccup…who is this?" Maery asked curiously.

"Well Mae, when I was on Berk I met some interesting people. May I introduce to you the heir to the Berk throne, Hicca Horrendous Haddock the Fourth. Daughter to Stoick 'The Vast' Haddock and incidentally my…" Hiccup introduced.

Maery studied the Hicca's face and found that she was almost like a mirror image of Hiccup. Even the name was exactly the same, only it was the female version. She looked so much like him that Maery would almost take them as related, siblings even…

Maery's eyes widened at the revelation, she turned around to face Hiccup making him stop his ranting introduction and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Hiccup… is she what I think she is?!" Maery asked.

"I was getting to that. And yes, Mae… meet my biological little sister, Hicca." Hiccup explained.

Maery gasped. "No way… you found them."

"Yes he did, though it did take him a while didn't you Hiccup…" Hicca jokingly said.

"Oh no, don't tell me he didn't notice." Maery asked.

"No he didn't, but to be fair I didn't notice as well. Since he was wearing a hood or a helmet the whole time!" Hicca said.

"Yeah, he tends to do that. I'm Maery by the way, but Hiccup always calls me Mae." Maery said with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you your majesty." Hicca said making a small bow.

"Oh no, don't do that. There's no need to bow." Maery said kneeling down and putting a hand on Hicca's shoulder. "A sister to Hiccup is a sister to me."

"Oh…uh thank you…" Hicca said surprised.

"Any time sweetie, and call me Mae. Everyone I know from your family does." Maery said.

Behind them Hiccup snorted back his laughter. It was really funny for him to see the two girls interact. It did earn him a smack on the head by Toothless.

"Aw… Toothless!" Hiccup shouted.

Both Maery and Hicca chuckled when Hiccup and Toothless initiated another play fight over the balcony.

"Does that happen a lot?" Hicca asked laughing.

"Oh yes, when they are home they so this a lot." Maery explained. "So? What do you think of Draconia so far?" She asked.

"It's enormous… I mean I grew up in a Viking village." Hicca said. She gestured all around her. "This is a whole other level. When Hiccup was on Berk he told about all this but we never realised the scale."

"The culmination of 266 years of expansion, it's what we do." Maery said sitting back down against the tree and inviting Hicca to sit with her. An invitation she took. "It's a home for thousands of people. A home we all are ready to protect with our lives."

Hicca frowned. "But…you're a princess. You do not have to fight or do anything for that matter." Hicca said.

Maery signed. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to."

"Really…why?" Hicca asked incredulously.

"I think Hiccup has told you about the front didn't he?" Maery asked. Hicca nodded. "They are out there fighting for their nation. It is as much their home as it is mine. But due to being the only heir to the throne I can't enlist, and so I can't follow Hiccup to the front lines. So I studied medicine and help out as a doctor at one the city infirmary."

"But Hiccup was raised right by you, why could he go and you couldn't." Hicca asked.

"Hiccup was never eligible for the throne because he was adopted. We never knew what happened before we found him here but we still raised him as family. He always knew he was adopted though. When the time came he could enlist he did it. He didn't have to but he said he wanted to. To end the war and afterwards go on an expedition to find his real family, if they were still alive." Maery explained.

"Well, guess he found them a little early." Hicca said.

"Indeed. Now enough about me or Hiccup. Tell me a little bit about you, I'd like to know you a bit." Maery said.

"R…really?" Hicca stuttered.

"But of course! Why wouldn't I want to get to know my adoptive brother's little sister?" Maery said excited.

"Because no-one ever gave me a second glance except Hiccup." Hicca said sadly.

Maery hummed, she understood there was more to this than Hicca let on. "You were bullied in your village weren't you?" Maery asked.

"Wha… yes…yes I was." Hicca sadly. "In my village I was looked down upon because I didn't act like a Viking. I couldn't fight and I spend my time making 'useless' inventions as they put it."

"That's harsh…" Maery commented.

"Yeah, but since I got rescued by Hiccup everyone I see has been really friendly to me. Like all the soldiers I met were really nice people. Here they don't look down on me." Hicca said.

"Because they have no reason to do so. No-one has. You be yourself and don't change anything because someone else wants you to. Maery encouraged.

"Yeah I know. I'm strangely feeling at home. Even though the amount of dragons still takes some getting used to." Hicca said.

"But you're not afraid of them?" Maery asked.

"No, not anymore. I mean look at Toothless right now." Hicca said enthusiastically. At the moment Hiccup was lying on his back in the grass being squished and licked by Toothless on top of him. "He is absolutely adorable."

"Yeah, he really is." Maery answered.

Then their attention went to the sound of several troops of the royal guard clicking their heels and saluting to the man who was walking onto the balcony. Behind him was Valentine. The man was wearing a regal looking blue and gold cloak and matching blue drapes. In his greying brown hair was a golden crown with the Draconian insignia on it. It was none other than the emperor.

"Oh, hi dad." Maery said casually.

Hicca's eyes widened and she shot up into a standing position, faced the man and bowed in respect. The princess might be friendly but she had no idea if the emperor would be. Though she would be pleasantly surprised.

"Calm down child, there is no need for you to bow." The emperor said with a deep but kind voice.

"Hey dad, how are you?" Hiccup said upside down underneath Toothless.

"I am doing fine son, and I'm happy you're back. And even happier because of whom you found." The emperor answered while gesturing to Hicca.

"You know who I am?" Hicca asked timidly.

"Yes child, Commander Valentine told me what had happened. And I wish to apologise for the deception but it was our only course of action." Dytaldir said.

"I understand sir, but I am glad Hiccup was sent. Otherwise we might never have met." Hicca said happily.

Meanwhile Hiccup had untangled himself from Toothless and come up to his adoptive father, whom he greeted with a hug.

"Well he is one of our best. And welcome back to you son. How long will you be staying?" Dytaldir asked.

"I estimate about a week. Then we travel back to Berk to clear things up." Hiccup answered while releasing the emperor.

"Good, in the mean time you can show Hicca here around the city. I believe she will enjoy it." Dytaldir said.

"Oh no sir that's not…" Hicca began.

"Nonsense my dear, I would even sent a part of my personal guard to escort you around. And I expect you both for dinner tonight." Dytaldir laughed.

Hicca didn't know what to say. She had just been invited to have dinner with the emperor of Draconia. The most powerful man in the empire.

"We'll be there father. Now come on Hicca, let's go explore a bit." Hiccup said when he realised the emperor had rendered his sister speechless.

"Uh…yeah…okay." Hicca stuttered and followed after her brother.

"Hey Hicca wait!" Maery cut in.

Hicca turned around to face the princess. "Yes…"

"I have to go to work at the infirmary soon so I won't see you until dinner. But afterwards we're going to talk all night okay." Maery said.

"Okay cool!" Hicca said happily with the prospect of having a new friend.

Hiccup nodded and then saw Valentine close by. He smirked for had an idea.

"Hey Mae…you remember Valentine don't you." Hiccup began pulling Valentine figuratively and literally in the conversation before he could run. "He was actually the one identifying me and Hicca as siblings."

Maery giggled. "Is that so…"

"Um…uh…yes." Valentine stuttered. "Hi Maery…"

"Hmm, hi Valentine…" Maery greeted in return.

Hiccup gave his friend a thumbs up when he and his sister walked away with Toothless in tow. Resulting in a panicking look from Valentine.

"Is there something going on between them?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yeah, they like each other. But they won't admit it, so I sometimes give them a little push in the right direction." Hiccup explained.

"Oh, they do look cute together." Hicca mused.

"Yes they do. Now let's go around the palace ant then fly into the city." Hiccup said.

"They are like you and Astrid…" Hicca teased.

"HICCA!" Hiccup shouted while blushing.

 **Draconian capitol, afternoon, 266 ADF**

Several hours later the two siblings were sitting on top of one of the docking towers around the city. They had been all around the palace, multiple squares, exploring streets and rooftops and the outskirts of the Imperial training centre. They were having a quick break before Hiccup would take his sister to one of the workshops since she wanted to see one so badly.

"Alright sis, ready to see the 'big forge'?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup! Let's go!" Hicca said ecstatic.

They both mounted Toothless and took off to the nearest workshop. It was one of the larger ones on the city outskirts next to one of the training centres. When they flew inside the big hangar like structure the heat blew in their faces. Hiccup chose one of the empty catwalks to land and give Hicca a little tour.

"Now welcome in a workshop. This is where mostly everything Draconia has to offer is made." Hiccup explained.

Hicca looked around in awe. She saw multiple workstation all busy making different things. Dozens of different people were running around working and to her surprise there were some younger teens present. Though she remembered Hiccup worked in one of these places before joining the military.

"Also in these places we build our weapons and sometimes new prototypes." Hiccup continued.

They walked further into the building until they came at a large section were they were building their newest weapon. Hicca looked at it and thought it was enormous. It was like the cabin of an airship without its balloons and with massive wheels underneath it. 10 of them.

"What is that?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup looked to the machine she meant. "Ah yes, that is our latest design. We call it the juggernaut, it simply put is a large, armoured battering ram using the same drive system as the airships fitted with multiple cannons. Once finished we believe it will turn the war in our favour indefinitely."

"When will it be ready?" Hicca asked.

"Seeing its state it will still be several months until it is finished." Hiccup said.

Hicca nodded. More and more she began to align with Draconia's cause. For the time she had been here she had felt more accepted than she ever was on Berk.

"Come on, we still have time to visit the training centre next door." Hiccup said.

Hicca nodded while still in thought. Maybe she could help as well.

They travelled to the nearby training centre where Hicca witnessed the training process of the Draconian troopers. From the youngest who were only her age, to the veterans receiving extra training before shipping back out. She also saw entire legions of troops in identical looking armour march before her to the landing pads. They were being accompanied by the dragons whose riders were in the legion, either walking next to them or hovering above. These men and women were ready to ship out.

"How old do you have to be to enlist?" Hicca suddenly asked.

"About fourteen and a half." Hiccup answered.

That got Hicca thinking even more. She had been thinking all day long, and now she might have made a decision that would change her life forever.

 **Draconian Imperial palace, evening, 266 ADF**

After a long day the two siblings were now enjoying dinner with the royal family. Hicca had been a little overwhelmed in the beginning but quickly adapted seeing that the emperor and his family were pretty normal. She was feeling at ease and was preparing to make her big announcement.

The rest of the family was quietly conversing and eating. Hiccup mostly talked about his journey to Berk and was informed of the developments when he was away. Hicca heard of some victories made in the war, which she and likely Hiccup were very happy about. During the dinner he had even changed out of his usual uniform into a more casual wear. He had swapped his helmet, arm- and chest armour for a green tunic. His lower body however was still clad in the usual heavy boots, leg armour and Kama.

The dinner went on until Hicca finally got her chance to make her announcement.

"So Hicca, what do you think of our nation so far?" Dytaldir asked.

"I think it's great, it really opened my eyes…" Hicca said.

"What do you mean by that?" Dytaldir asked frowning.

"I mean I finally found a place I can identify myself with. A place I can be myself." Hicca said.

"You are going somewhere with this aren't you." Hiccup said.

"Yes…Hiccup, I want to join the fight." Hicca announced.

Hiccup's eyes grew wide and he looked at Hicca with a shocked and slightly proud expression. "What?! But…why? You know you don't have to!" Hiccup said. The rest of the family was equally shocked.

"Yes, but I want to. And before you shoot me down, on Berk you told me that I need to make my own decisions. That the only opinion about me that matters is my own." Hicca said.

Maery looked shocked that her new friend/little sister who had only been here for a short time would make such a drastic decision. The emperor however looked proud, firstly because of Hiccup inspiring such independent thinking and secondly because he viewed his adoptive son's sister as a daughter as well.

"But, you know that is very dangerous and…" Hiccup began worried for his sister.

"Hiccup, you told me yourself that survivability has increased drastically over the years and that every soldier gets an extensive training in preparation. I can do this, I know I can!" Hicca countered.

"Son… she is right you know. And it is like you said, everyone needs to make his own decisions. If she wants to enlist and fight and defend Draconia and Berk by an extension I will speak my support." The emperor encouraged.

"Hmm… I guess you're right. Are you sure about this sis?" Hiccup asked.

Hicca, having put immense pride out of the emperor's support answered. "Yes! Yes I am sure. I am willing to do this for the first place I have actually felt accepted and supported."

"… Alright then. I'll get you enlisted and I will get you a uniform." Hiccup signed.

Don't forget to take her to bond with the dragons. Maybe she'll find one for herself." Dytaldir advised.

Hicca knew what this meant. She had been thought that dragon riding began with the bonding process. But the rider didn't choose the dragon, the dragon chose the rider. And there was never a guarantee a dragon would choose you.

"Very well… tomorrow we go search for a dragon companion." Hiccup declared.

 **Alright first of all this was a *BLEEP of a chapter to write. I mean it was really hard to do. The conversations were never good enough and frankly I still hate parts of it. But I guess every story has these and they are a necessary evil for the story's progression. Let's hope the next one will fare better.**

 **Also about certain plot points. I know that fourteen and a half is extremely young to enlist but I just did this to make up for the canon entrance for Hiccup. Otherwise all the characters would have been in their twenties. So I just Deus ex machina'd it. Don't judge! Anyway for the new stuff introduced in this chapter: the juggernaut tank was inspired by the HAVw A5 Juggernaut from star wars. Look it up it looks exactly like it, and it will likely return in the last chapter. And I made the calculation in my head, it could actually work in this universe.**

 **PS: i have recently set up a Tumblr blog about my writing ( ). feel free to drop by and ask any unresolved questions. i will also likely be posting about any future ideas or projects.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Critical critic: no, they are not aware of that fact as explained in this chapter. I hope this has been cleared up.**

 **orca3553: well isn't that an excellent idea. And I'm sure the Vikings will be so kind not to surrender so force must be applied.**

 **Thearizona: Never allowed to leave? Is that like slavery? Yikes! As for your question: the artillery tech is indeed early 20** **th** **century but it is all based around dragons and their by-products. By this I mean the gunpowder is replaced by a mix of explosive gas and flammable saliva. That kind of stuff isn't easily made smaller. And the tech is also fairly new in this time period. The smallest they have achiever are the hand grenades, which are just explosives. The smallest ranged weapon they could develop with it would be something like a bazooka I think. That's why they have the artillery cannons but still use crossbows and swords. I hope that helped…..Hmm bazooka…**

 **Grima: I hope your question is answered.**

 **AkaDeca: handsome devil had to at some point.**

 **Guest: good idea! Good idea! Good idea! (Has already been planned) HINT!**

 **mc arno: well we'll just have to see their reactions. Though I have a pretty good idea who would win the argument…**

 **assasins death: you will have to wait for Berk because they will only come back when the two siblings return home. And I love the enthusiasm and that you think I'm doing well. Thanks a lot death.**

 **Ghost Dragon Master: you certainly have a point though I have to be honest I haven't really decided what to do with the traitors. Though blood eagle or firing squad sound appalling for Spitelout. (#I am not afraid to kill major characters)**

 **Guest: they will definitely take it with shock. But how? And the brother-sister love was meant to be this way.**

 **Duckie: Here have another chapter as comfort. Tea…Star Wars…sweatband. Random? Nah…**

 **Anyways, till next time. I've been**

 **Dismissed**


	13. Chapter 13: Becoming a trooper

**Another chapter! Now we get some more of Hicca's adventures in the capitol. And some more sibling interactions. Anyway enjoy.**

 **Chapter 13: Becoming a trooper**

 **(The next day)**

 **Just outside the capitol walls, Draconia, late morning, 266 ADF**

Hiccup, Hicca and Valentine had just arrived at a structure outside the city walls that looked like a natural stone ring. Hiccup had explained that this was one of the natural meeting points for dragons and humans. It was one of the places where riders could bond, and they were well protected.

After dinner last night Hiccup gave her a brief explanation of what they were going to do. He told her that they would be staying for about a week before returning to Berk, in that time he would take the responsibility of giving her the most basic training before she could enter a training camp after they returned. Afterwards she spend the entire evening with Maery or Mae as she now also called her. Talking about basically everything, Hicca's early life on Berk, what she did during a normal day, Hiccup's early life, though mostly the embarrassing stories. And of course Mae's relationship with Valentine and in the end the hinted attraction to Astrid by Hiccup otherwise. When Mae teased Hiccup about it the whole palace could hear him shout Hicca's name and subsequently hear him chase her around the palace halls. Which resulted in the sibling's very first play-fight.

Afterwards the siblings and Valentine, who offered to come along to observe, left for the meeting point. When they arrived they saw several guard troopers with blue markings protecting the entrance. The group of three was allowed to enter without questions asked however. Guess Hiccup and the emperor did some preparations.

They walked inside what looked to be a stone carved hallway which looked to lead in a wide open space.

"So Hicca you must not be afraid when you enter remember?" Hiccup reminded.

"I know, I'm just a bit nervous." Hicca said.

"There's no need to be nervous, you will do great." Valentine encouraged.

They came out of the tunnel and stepped into an open area surrounded by natural stone walls. The entire place was like a green oasis with dozens of dragons flying or running around. Hicca could see a small pack of raptors running around, she saw the dragons she knew from home. Nadders, Nightmares, Gronkles, a few Zipplebacks and many more. She could also identify a few other species Hiccup and Mae had told her about. A Hobblegrunt was sleeping on one of the stone pillars and she thought to see a faint glimpse of a Changewing at the far side of the oasis.

"Uh… what do I do now?" Hicca asked timidly.

"You go and look for a dragon that chooses you." Hiccup said. Motioning her to step further into the oasis.

Hicca swallowed, she was still a little bit nervous about the whole situation. She looked back to her brother and Valentine with their respective dragons. They both gave her a thumbs up for encouragement.

Hicca looked back forward, took a deep breath and signed. She could do this. Then she stepped further into the oasis.

Some dragons started to notice the newcomer and eyed her curiously. As time passed and Hicca stepped further out into the open more and more dragons were poking their heads out to look at her.

Hicca felt the many eyes on her and although Hiccup and Valentine had assured her that she would be safe she couldn't feel but worried. She grew up in a village that killed dragons after all. But then one of the more curious dragons came closer.

It was one of the raptors from the pack she had seen running around when she entered. And Hiccup's description of them was very spot on, they were indeed three meters tall with sharp talons on their back legs and short arms. It got closer and sniffed Hicca cautiously. But otherwise made no aggressive moves at all. And this was an untrained dragon in the wild.

Hicca let the big, scaled creature come closer and inspect her. It had made no aggressive moves whatsoever, even when she moved around to take a better look it just kept calm. 'Guess all dragons are just misunderstood.' Hicca thought. From this moment on all images of dragons being monsters just… vanished from her mind. And she looked at the dragon with more confidence and a genuine smile.

"Hey there big guy, how are you doing?" Hicca said.

The raptor tilted its head and looked at her with dilated eyes but made no moves. Other dragons now began to come closer. Several touched down nearby to come take a look.

Hicca extended her hand to the raptor in hopes of making a bond. But the dragon itched away and shook his head. They were not meant to be. The raptor then moved away from a slightly dejected Hicca.

'Guess he wasn't the one. Farewell majestic creature, may you find your rider soon." Hicca thought. Then she turned to the other approaching dragons with new hope.

Hiccup and Valentine watched from the side, having witnessed her interaction with the raptor. "It's almost never the first one." Valentine said.

"Patience, she still has a lot of chances." Hiccup said.

"Or she could turn up empty handed." Valentine said. "That happens a lot too. You know only about fifteen to twenty percent of the Imperial military are dragon riders."

"We can only hope Valentine." Hiccup said, though he really hoped Hicca would bond today.

Time went on and multiple dragons came to inspect Hicca. The process was repeated over and over again, but it always lead to the same rejection. A couple of hours later and no dragon had yet bonded with the girl, all of them just flew or walked away. By this time there were no dragons left around her and Hicca was left standing alone on the ridge looking at the oasis dejected.

Hiccup had come to her and laid a hand on her shoulder as a comfort. "It's alright sis." Hiccup signed. "Maybe some things just aren't meant to be."

"I know, but I really hoped I would find one for myself today." Hicca said.

They were about to walk away when they heard a growl coming from a nearby stack of rocks. Something was behind it looking at them. They turned around to see the black and purple body of… a Skrill.

Hicca was very surprised to see such a rare dragon in front of her. A wild on at that.

Hiccup released Hicca's shoulder and took a step back. If this was the one she had to do this alone.

Hicca stayed rooted at the ground when her brother released her. She took a glimpse backwards to see Hiccup gesturing to her to go to it. She looked back forward and took a step towards the lightning-based dragon.

The Skrill stalked towards her eying her every move. It made a full circle around her before coming to a halt about 1,5 metres directly in front of her.

Hicca and the Skrill looked each other deep in the eyes. For some reason she felt some kind of connection with the creature. Something she hadn't felt with the other dragons.

'This is it…' Hicca thought.

Hicca closed her eyes, turned her head away and extended her palm. She didn't know why but she felt she needed to look away, as if to place her full trust in the dragon before her.

A few seconds passed, they felt like hours however. Until she felt something warm and scaly press against her palm giving her a light shock, but the good kind. She opened her eyes and looked at the Skrill who had closed the gap and was resting its nose against her palm. Its eyes were fully dilated and she felt like she could look into the creature's very soul.

"Congratulations Hicca, you found your bonded dragon." Hiccup said with a smile. He was really relieved. "You should think of a name for him."

"Her… it's a she. Don't ask me how…I just…know." Hicca said.

Hiccup smiled. He knew the feeling, most dragon riders experienced things like this. "Do you have a name for her?"

Hicca didn't look up, she was too busy petting and scratching her new companion. She seemed to love this and snuggled closer to Hicca. Hicca however did have a name ready.

"Elysia… I'm going to name her Elysia. What do you think girl?" Hicca asked.

The dragon now known as Elysia nodded ecstatically and gave Hicca a big lick.

"Yuck… does this stuff wash out?" Hicca asked. Hiccup was chuckling at the sight and in the background Valentine was laughing his ass off.

"Hmm…I don't think so sis. You got to get used to it, like I did so many years ago." Hiccup said remembering his first encounter with Toothless. He looked back at the offending dragon to see a smug smile on the dragon's face.

Hiccup looked back to Hicca to see her looking at him with Elysia having stuck her head under Hicca's arm.

"So…, what do I do now?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "You play with her. Strengthen your bond together so you can trust each other with your lives when the time comes. I advise playing tag."

Hicca smiled and looked at Elysia to see if she wanted to play. She got her answer when Elysia tapped her lightly with her wing and flew a little distance, she wiggled her scaly body as a challenge to chase her.

"Oh. You're on!" Hicca laughed. She then gave chase to the black and purple dragon laughing all the way.

"So, a Skrill huh." Valentine said.

"Well, it's something different. They'll make a good pair." Hiccup said proudly.

"She'll be needing a saddle." Valentine said.

"Yes, and a specialised set of armour. To divert the lightning away. I'll take care of that.

The group stayed in the oasis for a while so Hicca could form a stronger bond with Elysia. Afterwards they made plans to leave for the capitol again.

"Hicca, you are going to have to ride with me and Toothless, since you haven't had any riders training yet and riding bareback is really uncomfortable for both you and Elysia." Hiccup said.

"Oh… but I do get to ride her soon right?" Hicca asked hopefully.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yes Hicca, you can soon. Now hop on." He said while mounting Toothless.

Hicca nodded and jumped into Toothless' saddle in front of her brother. Then they took off towards the capitol with Valentine and his sand-wraith beside and Elysia following behind them. It didn't take the group long to arrive back at the palace since all three dragons were reasonably fast. Hicca still found the experience exhilarating.

 **Imperial palace, afternoon, 266 ADF**

They soon landed on the palace balcony where Mae came running towards them. "And did you find one?" She asked Hicca while she was dismounting Toothless.

Hicca just smiled, put two fingers in her mouth and whistled. Almost instantly Elysia came barrelling out of the sky and landed behind Hicca.

Mae looked with wide eyes. "A Skrill! Awesome girl!" Mae shouted enthusiastically.

"She really is, I named her Elysia. Say hi to my friend Mae girl." Hicca said.

Mae giggled when she was pushed by Elysia's nose. The big lightning dragon didn't seem so scary now.

"And make sure the armour has lightning diverging cables." Hiccup said to Valentine who sped off again on his sand-wraith.

"What was that about?" Hicca asked.

"Oh I just asked Valentine if he could get some things for you. Namely a saddle for Elysia and a cadet uniform for you." Hiccup said.

"Oh so that's why you needed my clothing size." Hicca deduced.

"Indeed." Hiccup said. "Now... ready for some dragon riding basics?"

"Alright!" Hicca cheered.

For the next few hours Hiccup instructed Hicca in the basics of dragon training. They did some exercises with Elysia to practice taking off and landing since a real flight wasn't possible yet. Hicca was an eager learner and sucked up all the information her brother gave her. By the end of the session Hicca had a pretty good idea how to fly.

A few hours had passed during this training and meanwhile Valentine had returned with a sleek black saddle with lightning diverging spikes and a few pouches and a large duffel bag.

It took the two siblings and Valentine a while to fit the saddle onto Elysia, mainly because she led them on another playful chase. Afterwards when the saddle was fitted and safely secured their attention went to Hicca and the duffel bag.

"So, what's in the bag?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup chuckled, opened the bag and pulled out a plain white helmet like Valentine's without any markings. It was also size for a smaller person. "Hicca, I believe this is yours." Hiccup said when he gave the helmet to his sister.

"Remember, when wearing that helmet. You wear the Draconian banner and all of us proudly with you." Valentine said.

"Woah…" Hicca gasped when she felt the helmet in her hands. Her helmet.

"Here, take the bag and go change. Everything could be in there." Hiccup said while giving her the duffel bag.

Hicca nodded and disappeared from the balcony for some time. She most likely went to Mae to help her undress and donned in her new Draconian cadet armour. It was about half an hour later when Mae appeared in the doorway.

"Gentlemen, may I introduce… Cadet Hicca Haddock." Mae announced while gesturing to someone outside their field of view.

Hicca stepped out onto the balcony, completely donned in her cadet armour. It was a fully white version of the standard trooper armour Valentine and by lesser extend Hiccup wore. The only colorations on the armour were the black edges of her white Kama and the Draconian insignia in her shoulder pads. The helmet she held under her arm.

"It looks good on you sis." Hiccup said observing his sister.

"Thanks, wearing the helmet is still a bit weird though. I tried it for a bit inside but I took it off so I wouldn't bump into walls." Hicca said.

"Well, there are no walls here." Valentine joked.

"Just put it on. You'll need to get used to it." Hiccup said.

To this Hicca put on the helmet and locked it in place just like Mae had shown her. She rolled her head on her shoulders to see how much she could move and found the body glove to be quite flexible. "Hmm, it isn't restrictive." She said. She then gave a few experimental knocks on different places of the armour. "Sturdy as well."

"It's supposed to be Hicca. Now, ready for a first flight?" Hiccup asked.

"Really?!" Hicca asked hopefully.

"Yes really." Hiccup said smiling. He then put on his helmet and moved towards Toothless. "Come on! Let's go!"

Hicca was ecstatic and al but shot to Elysia who was equally exited to go on their first shared flight. Hicca mounted her companion and Elysia spread her wings and gave a powerful burst propelling them into the air. The pair glided into the Draconian air free from any restrictions. Right now Hicca felt free like never before.

Hiccup and Valentine came flying next to her, the tree of them were gliding high over the city. They were flying higher and higher, around and over the towers. Next to other wings of dragons and Draconian airships flying in and out of the city. Valentine decided to do some stunt and had his dragon Scorch do all kinds of spins and barrel rolls around the two siblings. Hicca laughed and was amazed at the things he could do.

When Valentine levelled out and joined flight formation again it was Hiccup's turn to do something crazy. Hicca noticed he clicked his feet out of Toothless' saddle and began to stand up straight on Toothless' back. He balanced himself perfectly and looked at her, but what he did next amazed her even more. He began walking towards her on Toothless' wing. When he was on the edge he jumped over on Elysia's wings and walked over to her, gave her a light tap on the helmet and walked further over to Valentine and Scorch. He did the same jump trick he did when moving from Toothless to Elysia. Very soon he was standing on Scorch behind Valentine and underneath her helmet Hicca was gaping. The two friends bumped their fists and Hiccup moved to the far side of Scorch's wing. Before Hicca could say anything Hiccup reached the end and slipped off.

She was about to yell when suddenly Hiccup came rising up again. Toothless had flown around and caught him when he went of Scorch wing, just as planned. It had been an awesome display of skill.

They soon returned to the palace after flying around a bit more. When they landed Hicca dismounted Elysia and rushed to Hiccup.

"Okay, that was crazy! And insanely cool! Could you teach me that?" Hicca asked excited.

"All in due time sis, all in due time." Hiccup chuckled.

"Yay!" Hicca cheered.

Both Valentine and Hiccup laughed at the young girl's enthusiasm.

"Now, I'd love to stay longer but I really need to leave." Valentine said.

Hicca stopped hopping around for a moment and looked at her brother's human best friend. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I'm needed back with my legion, there's still a war to be won." Valentine said.

"So you're shipping out again?" Hicca asked.

"Yep, we all have our duties. Now Hicca, I don't know when we'll be seeing each other again. So train hard so we may meet side by side on the frontline again." Valentine encouraged.

Hicca nodded vigorously. "I will! Good luck sir." She said while giving Valentine a salute.

Valentine returned the salute with a light chuckle. Then Hiccup laid a hand on Valentine's shoulder.

"Good luck out there man, come back alive." Hiccup said.

"No promises man…" Valentine joked.

Hiccup chuckled lightly. "You know…Mae is still somewhere in the palace. Maybe you should go say goodbye…" He suggested.

"Uh…yeah…I think I'll do that." Valentine stuttered.

Both Haddock siblings chuckled at Valentine's behaviour when he retreated into the palace. Scorch followed close behind.

"So, what's next?" Hicca asked.

"Now? Well before we return to Berk there are a few things that need to be done. We will use that time to give you some training here. I'll be taking charge." Hiccup said.

"Alright! So when do we begin?" Hicca asked.

"Right now." Hiccup said firmly. "We'll begin with basic exercises. Let's go for a few laps around the palace. On foot…"

Hicca gulped. This was going to be a long week.

 **(Six days later)**

 **Capitol military complex, afternoon, 266 ADF**

Indeed the week had been rough for Hicca. Hiccup might be an awesome brother, he was one hell of a strict drill instructor. On the first day she had run around the entire perimeter of the palace at least ten times. Afterwards she had been instructed in some basic unarmed combat forms and had gotten her as kicked by Hiccup.

In the days that followed she did more laps, push-ups and sit-ups than she could count. Hiccup said it was to improve her stamina and prepare her for what was to come. They also did some combat training with weapons, however she wasn't allowed to carry any of them with her yet.

It still took some time for her to properly hold a weapon since she only recently discovered that she had to carry her weapons left handed. The resulting effect were many training swords flying out of her hand and embedding themselves somewhere in the ground or wall. Though Hiccup showed an immense amount of patience with training her. Hicca honestly thought he would go insane with all her clumsiness, but he just kept going and didn't stop until he was satisfied with her progress for the day.

One of the things she was good at however was aiming. The first time she got a Draconian crossbow in her hands she was marvelled by its inner workings. A crossbow that was quickly to load, had two shots to fire and most of all was very powerful got her attention. The first few tries were horribly off mark, though when she was adjusted to the bow's size and knockback her aim improved with each shot. Being able to hit her target dead centre from a long distance by the end. Though reloading was still difficult as it required the user to have some arm strength to prime the cables.

Hiccup wasn't always around to train her however, sometimes he was gone for a few hours to arrange for their return to Berk. At least that's what he told her. He was being very mysterious about the conditions they would be travelling in, always avoiding the question. Anyways when he wasn't around she was further trained by members of the Imperial royal guard, also known as the first legion. They had her do basic exercises the kind Hiccup had done with her.

During all this training Elysia was definitely not forgotten. Both were instructed in dragon calls and hand signals that could help them out in the field. She was taught how to be a better rider as well as how to fight better and more efficiently alongside her dragon. One of the important lessons was not to rely on strength alone in a fight. They instructed her to actively analyse her opponent and find his weaknesses. They called it fighting smart. Hiccup told her this was exactly what he did when fighting Snotlout back on Berk. She also learned to be agile in a fight, to dodge a blow was always better than to block it. It also came handy to outmanoeuvre your opponent.

Though training wasn't the only thing she did during the week. When she was finally relieved from her training and drill-sergeant Hiccup she spent some actual quality time with her brother and Mae. Forming a very sisterly bond with the latter over the course of days. Together she had her first actual girls-only time. Gossiping was fun, and the main target was of course… Hiccup.

When he could even the emperor would make time for the youngest Haddock. Teaching her about Draconian politics and the known world. She could spend hours in the vast palace library reading books about all kinds of things or places. Or just stare for hours at the maps printed on the tables in the various war-rooms.

In truth she could always find something to do in the palace.

Though eventually all good things need to come to an end. At the end of the week Hiccup informed her that they would be leaving very soon. Just before Hicca had said goodbye to Mae and the royal family. She did however promise to come back soon. Afterwards she had packed the little possessions she had, donned in her armour and flew on Elysia alongside Hiccup towards one of the training centres. Right now they were walking along the catwalks in the building seemingly going to some sort of balcony outside.

"So, we're leaving for Berk?" Hicca asked.

"Indeed, though I have a feeling arriving there won't be a smooth ride." Hiccup stated.

"How so? It's because of our dragons isn't it?" Hicca asked.

"For some part it is. But you need to remember I made a rather dramatic exit last time I was there, and some villagers already found me suspicious." Hiccup said.

"But once we explain what happened…" Hicca began.

"I fear it might not be that simple Hicca, you know this entire coup was set up by our own uncle. I knew of his plan because I did my fair share of espionage in the village. The day before you were kidnapped I witnessed a meeting in which I learned he wanted to use me as a scapegoat. He planned to pin the blame on me, and I am quite certain he made work of that." Hiccup explained.

"In other words the whole village will by now see you as an enemy." Hicca deduced sadly.

"Indeed, and by extend everyone wearing the Draconian insignia. Since during the raid I wore my trooper armour and they all know my affiliation to the empire. Well, they know I'm from here." Hiccup said, chuckling when he said that last part.

"Yes, 'All Hail Marshall-commander Hiccup Haddock! Leader of the Third legion and slayer of giant queen dragons!'" Hicca bellowed laughing.

"Ugh, I hate it when people do that. You know I'm still having nightmares about that day." Hiccup signed.

"Oops… sorry…" Hicca apologised.

"It doesn't matter sis, I can take a joke." Hiccup laughed.

"Heh, right. Anyway, how are we going to convince the village to listen to what we have to say? Since we both are wearing Draconian gear and there's only two of us?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "Hicca, do you know why I sometime couldn't train you?" Hiccup asked.

"You said it was because you needed to arrange for our return." Hicca said.

"And I did. I knew Berk and mostly Stoick wouldn't listen to us if we didn't have some… let's say… force of persuasion." Hiccup said.

"Force of persuasion?!" Hicca asked.

By now they had reached the exit to one of the balconies that looked out over the landing deck.

"I arranged a little escort for the trip." Hiccup said as they reached the edge of the balcony.

Now Hicca could see what her brother was talking about. On the landing deck were three Bastion-class transports lined up and a lot of soldiers were standing were waiting outside them for their turn to enter. It took Hicca a second to connect the dots, but soon she realised that this was their escort. The entire Third legion was about to be shipped to Berk. Hiccup's legion was going with them.

The troops marched inside the airships in long lines of two, there were still some raptors on the ground patrolling, though the rest of the dragons were already loaded up.

"You're taking your legion with you?" Hicca asked since all the troops she could see were wearing the same type of armour Hiccup was wearing.

"A little back-up never hurts. And it will make them listen." Hiccup said.

"So…we're kind of invading Berk." Hicca said while looking at the hundreds of troops who were soon going to be standing on her home island.

"Eh…Invading isn't really the right word. Call it a personal guard for a very important person." Hiccup said while looking at Hicca.

"We're going to scare the life out of them though." Hicca said slightly smug.

"That we will. And we will teach Spitelout not to mess with the Haddocks nor Draconia." Hiccup said.

"Time to ruin uncle Jorgenson's plan." Hicca said.

"On that we can agree. Ready to go cadet?" Hiccup asked.

"Sir, yes sir!" Hicca said while mockingly saluting.

"Let's go then." Hiccup said.

They both mounted their respective dragons and flew down from the balcony onto the landing pad. There they send their dragons to board the command-ship via the back hangar, while they themselves went up the boarding ramp along the rest of the troops. Hiccup had offered her to stay in the captain's cabin but Hicca refused saying that she was no more important than the rest of the troops. Hiccup did feel a little proud of her. She ended up bunking with a few other female troopers a bit older than her.

Later both sibling were standing on the command-ship's bridge waiting for launch. They were still waiting for the all clear message from docking control.

"So, we'll be back on Berk in about a week?" Hicca asked.

"Yes, so it will be three weeks after you got abducted." Hiccup answered.

"But are you sure we'll be on time to stop Spitelout?" Hicca asked.

"I have no doubt. Uncle Spitelout in in for one hell of a surprise." Hiccup said with a grin.

Just then a message terror flew in carrying a small note. Hiccup the note from the terror and gave it a light scratch. Then he read the note.

"Alright, we're cleared for departure." Hiccup said. "Attention! Clear the deck, close all hatches! Start the engines!" He ordered.

"Affirmative." The pilot nearby said.

A few moments later they could hear the engines start and the turbines come up to speed. The ramp was retracted and the landing legs were unlocked.

"Pilot, take us up and set a course north. We're going to Berk." Hiccup ordered.

"Aye aye sir." The pilot answered.

About fifteen minutes later all three ships were flying north out of the city in a V-formation. Hicca soon retreated to her bunk. Hiccup had promised her he would continue her training during the trip and that they would start in the morning. For the moment she was free to rest and mingle with the rest of the troops. She should do that.

After all, they would be her brothers and sisters in battle soon. And they would stand with her on Berk within a week.

 **End of chapter 13. We've been given some more insight in the inner workings of the empire and the Haddock siblings are officially on their way back to Berk. Next chapter will be their arrival and the inevitable confrontation with their "uncle". Now I have a question for you guys, when the time comes and Spitelout needs to be trailed, what should I do with him? When I first developed the story I didn't really decide what to do with him. In the reviews I've heard the term 'Blood eagle' drop several times. Let me know what you think. Also, how long should Hiccup and Hicca stay on Berk? I was thinking at least one night, but I can maybe prolong this to two or maaaybe three. Let me know as well.**

 **Reviews:**

 **orca3553: I think this chapter answers your question. She will be notifying them of her choice and many more things.**

 **Grima: in the next chapter there is going to be an explanation of what happened on Berk when they were away. But they didn't go to Draconia. One, because they can't find it without a map (Hiccup had the only one) ant two, the trip would take too long and certain people would push back against the idea.**

 **AkaDeca: no, I'm not kidding you. I'm very serious. Lol**

 **Ghost Dragon Master: your theory makes a lot of sense actually. I've decided to incorporate this into the plot. Thank you for the feedback. And the Hicca reveal and the other things, I have my ways. Don't worry.**

 **Thearizona: indeed, but someone will be very surprised when Hicca turns up again with an entire army backing her up.**

 **Maerk Andrew: great idea, I made sure to do that. In the beginning I was planning to send only one ship, but in retrospect that doesn't make much sense to leave a large part of the legion behind. So what the heck, just bring them all. And the joint prosecution of Spitelout was a good idea as well, I'll find a way to incorporate this. Thanks!**

 **5: nah, overkill is fun. And it's something different, it mixes things up a bit. Also, welcome back sergeant. I'm glad to have you back! Side note: the bazooka hasn't been invented yet.**

 **ArthurShade: yeah I know, story clichés. Sin on me.**

 **JHawkins: yes, they are indeed worried. But they are on their way back. Also Hicca is indeed very dangerous for Spitelout when she returns, and Hiccup even more. Certainly with the documents he has with him.**

 **mc arno: thank you. I really appreciate the support you're giving. Until next time.**

 **Anyways I hope you all enjoyed. I've been (** **my name should show up here but I recently noticed it sometimes doesn't. likely a bug)**

 **Dismissed**


	14. Chapter 14: Back on Berk

**This chapter was kind of fun to write. I mean really, a lot of you people have been waiting for it so I deliver. Fair warning, when reading crank your imagination up to maximum. You won't regret it.**

 **Enjoy**

 **Chapter 14: Back on Berk**

 **(One week later)**

 **Berk town square, afternoon, 266 ADF**

It had been three hectic weeks since Hicca was abducted during the Outcast-Berserker raid. It took Berk a while to notice since Hicca was as good as invisible to them, they also were busy recovering from the attack. But what really shook them was the fact that Ryder, the kind traveller who had arrived just a week before the attack turned out to be much more than he let out. He was what they had come to call… a dragon rider.

Though Stoick placed his full concern with the abduction of his daughter. At first he had the entire island searched, then he ordered an expedition to Outcast Island because that was the most likely place where she might be held. However when they arrived they didn't find the heavily fortified Outcast stronghold. They found a ruined island. The entire stronghold was ravaged by what seemed to be an enraged dragon horde. Towers and houses were destroyed, the underground fortifications were demolished and the iconic iron-grated cage over the island had collapsed. Spread over the island they found the remnants of the joint Outcast-Berserker army that attacked the village. In the ruins they also found a barely alive Dagur, who looked like he was beat up and then trampled by what they deduced was the same dragon horde that destroyed the island.

They didn't get much out of Dagur, being gravely injured as he was. They did however learn that Hicca was gone and he gave a vague description of what Ryder looked like in his armour. This led to the belief that he was much further involved than originally thought.

The Berk expedition soon returned to their home island leaving Dagur behind, since he was of no use and had no idea where Hicca could be. Stoick did however inflict some more bodily harm on him during the interrogation.

Afterwards a meeting was called about the turn of events. In this meeting there were several Vikings voicing their concerns that Ryder had been here for a reason. They thought it was his mission to abduct the young heir for a yet unknown reason. They also thought that he might be more than a normal spy since Astrid told them she recognised a saddle and various packs on the Nightfury's back when Ryder flew off on it. What scared them the most was that almost all these items carried the Draconian insignia.

Some Vikings believed that this was a sign that Ryder was actively working for the empire, and that they sent him here for some reason unknown. Stoick was enraged by this and immediately wanted to mount an expedition to Draconia to find his daughter. Though other important Vikings voiced against this because of several reasons. The first being that they had no idea where or how far away Draconia was, seeing that the only map containing the continent they had seen was owned by Ryder. Second being that they had no idea if Hicca was even there. Seeing that they were right Stoick ordered everyone to find as much information about Draconia as possible so they may find a route to it. But meanwhile three weeks had passed and the chances of ever finding Hicca were growing slim.

Stoick however never gave up hope, he would not lose another child. And while he wasn't doing his chiefly duties or trying to find Hicca he was comforting his wife Valka. Who had been devastated by the abduction of her child, again. Therefore Stoick had ordered another meeting which was to start in about twenty minutes. Astrid and the rest of the gang minus Snotlout were hanging around talking at the town square, to kill the time before the meeting would start.

"Do you think we'll ever find her?" Ruffnut asked.

"I don't know, it's been three weeks already. The chances are growing very slim." Fishlegs answered.

"But what if we travel to this Draconia place? We should find her there right?" Tuffnut said.

"You know that's highly unlikely Tuff, firstly we don't even know she is there. And second, Draconia is a big place. At least that's what he said." Fishlegs said.

"Yeah, him. I still can't really believe Ryder was a spy. I mean I joked about it but I really thought he could be trusted." Tuffnut said.

"Well, you weren't the only one who trusted him." Ruffnut said giving a glance to a very silent Astrid.

Astrid had been very silent for the last few weeks, for several reasons. Firstly for Hicca's disappearance and secondly for Ryder's betrayal.

"Yes Ruff, I know. You can stop mentioning it." Astrid said wryly.

"Yeah, but really. Wasn't there something going on between you two?" Ruffnut asked.

"Ruffnut…" Astrid growled.

"Oh don't tell me it isn't true. We all saw how you two were together. You actually were kind of cute together." Ruffnut said.

"Gods! Ruffnut!" Astrid signed.

"Well, she does have a point Astrid. You two were pretty close." Fishlegs cut in.

"Gods! Alright! Fine, I did. First man I actually like that doesn't obnoxiously flirt with me." Astrid finally said. She then closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "And in the end he turns out to be a liar and a traitor…" She signed.

"Yeah, he lied to all of us, got close to the Chief's daughter and used this to abduct her. And he rides a dragon." Tuffnut said.

Fishlegs, who had been trying to think logically about everything that had happened and was trying his best to find out more about Draconia frowned. Something didn't really make sense to him.

"Yes, but there is still something I don't understand." Fishlegs said.

"And what would that be? You have been researching Draconia for weeks now." Astrid asked.

"Yes I have, but there is so little to be found. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack. What I don't understand though, is why?" Fishlegs said. "Why would he even abduct Hicca? What would he gain by doing that?"

"Well, abduct her and ask for ransom money." Tuffnut said.

"If that were the case we would already have heard news. And there are better targets if that was the goal. Like the Bog's Burglars." Fishlegs deduced.

"Power?" Ruffnut guessed.

"Unlikely. Berk might be a major player in the Archipelago, but outside of that we are nothing. Guys…, we're going up against an empire here." Fishlegs said.

"So… he might be working on orders of his leaders?" Tuffnut asked.

"Then he would be a servant of his throne." Ruffnut added.

"No, I'm not saying that. I just…" Fishlegs began.

"He could have been a rogue." Ruffnut interjected.

"No… he was too well equipped to be a loner." Astrid deduced. "If you remember all that fancy gear he sported during the raid. Definitely a professional."

"What if he was working with the Outcasts?" Tuffnut asked.

"No, he couldn't have. He killed a lot of Outcasts and Berserkers during the raid, and most importantly he beheaded Alvin in front of me." Astrid said, shuddering at the memory.

"Yeah, he even managed to blow up a few. I saw the remains. That wasn't pretty. Though it would be pretty cool to cause explosions like that." Tuffnut said.

Fishlegs and Astrid shuddered at the image of the twins getting their hands of whatever explosive device Ryder used.

"Okay, let's not think of that. His assault on the Outcasts and Berserkers during the raid brings up another question though. Since he wasn't the one who took Hicca in the first place. We all saw him leave on the back of that Nightfury. At that point Hicca was already gone." Fishlegs said.

"What are you saying Fish?" Astrid asked.

"All I'm saying is he wasn't the one who took Hicca from the island. Actually come to think about it the only thing that links him to this whole affair is the destruction of Outcast Island. Which we believe he played a large part in." Fishlegs explained.

"Uh, meaning?" Ruffnut asked.

"I mean…, what if he found out about the abduction and went after her?" Fishlegs asked.

"Come on Fishlegs, that's ridiculous!" Astrid said. "Why would he go after her?"

"Because he was her friend?" Fishlegs answered uncertainly. "All I know is that this whole thing just doesn't make sense. It's like we're missing something. There is a piece of the puzzle where not seeing." Fishlegs deduced.

"Maybe, either way Ryder is a traitor. He rides a dragon for Thor's sake." Astrid vented. "Come on, the meeting is about to start."

The rest of the group nodded and they made their way to the great hall. To another meeting that would likely take a long time and leave them with nothing again.

Astrid however had been thinking of Fishlegs' last words. In a way he was right, something didn't really make sense. But it was the best lead they had and multiple clans were convinced he was guilty. But somewhere deep inside her she hoped Fishlegs was right and he was innocent. But then was the question… who was guilty?

When they entered the great hall, none of them spotted three large and dark shapes in the clouds nearing the island. Only about thirty minutes away.

 **(Meanwhile on the Draconian command-ship's bridge)**

Hiccup and his sister were standing on the bridge of the command ship. During their week of travel Hiccup had furthered Hicca's training and they had grown closer both as siblings and as soldiers. They had also been practicing dragon training with Toothless, Elysia and a few other riders from the third legion. Right now they were on the bridge because they were getting very close to the island of Berk.

"We can't see the island through the thick clouds but scouts informed us it is there. And were getting very close. Do you remember the plan sis?" Hiccup asked.

"Yup, we basically hold the island hostage, I reveal myself, we get Spitelout and his cronies and so on…" Hicca said.

"Pretty much…, now I've had most dragon riders moved to the ship to our right. All except the Raptors. This ship and the one left of us will land on Berk and deploy our forces here." Hiccup explained while pointing to the open space next to the great hall and behind the village. Mapping the island did become handy.

"The third ship will keep circling the village and provide cover fire if necessary." Hiccup continued.

"I hope you don't plan on actually firing on Berk!?" Hicca asked wide eyed.

"If everything goes to plan we won't have to. Otherwise I will not hesitate to. But don't worry, they have my orders to only fire single shots at defensive structures. Like the catapults." Hiccup comforted.

"Then let's hope everything goes to plan." Hicca said. "Are you nervous…? I mean, to meet mom and dad?" She asked.

"Maybe a little. We'll see how it goes." Hiccup said. "We'll be arriving shortly, you should prepare." He said while putting his helmet back on.

"Agreed. Commander…" Hicca answered with a smirk before putting her own helmet back on.

The three ships continued to cut through the clouds. Their destination certain…, their mission known…, their resolve unbreakable.

Showtime.

 **(A few moment earlier)**

 **Berk Great-Hall, Afternoon, 266 ADF**

When they arrived in the Great-Hall the gang had split off and went to seat with their respective families, as was expected during these kind of meetings. They saw Stoick and Valka in the front. Stoick looked like he hadn't slept for days and Valka looked even more like an emotional wreck. Astrid couldn't blame her though, this had been the second time her child was taken.

"Alright, settle down." Stoick commanded. The murmurs in the Great-Hall tuned down and everyone turned towards their chief.

"I again thank all of you to come here today. And I'll go straight to the point. Have we learned anything new?" Stoick asked.

There were a few murmurs but unlike the last meeting no one stood up to say anything.

"What… no one has anything? Nothing?!" Stoick asked worried.

Then Angus stood up, he had been searching for a solution with the loyalists but they hadn't found anything. "I'm sorry chief… But we haven't found anything. There are no records of the land on Berk or the nearby villages. The only things we know are the things he told us." He said dejected.

"Then go search again! All of you! We won't stop until our heir and my daughter is found!" Stoick shouted.

Many Vikings in the hall signed, there wasn't much hope left that they would ever find her. And it was slowly driving their chief insane. However there was one rather toxic Viking who had to speak out.

"You can't be serious Stoick! We've been searching for months!" Mildew, the village's old grouch shouted.

"I am serious Mildew! I won't stop until my little girl is found! I won't lose another child!" Stoick shouted back enraged by Mildew's statement.

"Yes Stoick about that. You know this has been the second time. Don't you think this has to be a sign?!" Mildew shouted to the crowd.

"WHAT!" Stoick shouted. "HOW DARE YOU MILDEW!"

"Come on Stoick, admit it! When your first runt was taken we should have seen the signs!" Mildew continued to rile up the crowd.

Several Vikings had begun murmuring amongst each other as Mildew was spreading the doubt. At the Jorgenson table Spitelout was subtly smiling but no-one saw.

"It has been a message from the Gods! But you wouldn't see it Stoick!" Mildew continued.

""MILDEW! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Stoick shouted seeing the expression on Valka's face.

"They try to give us a sign Stoick! But you wouldn't listen! They want to say that we must change! A new chief is necessary!" Mildew proclaimed.

Astrid's, Angus', and other Vikings from the Loyalist's eyes went wide. They were using Hicca's abduction as a reason to usurp power from Stoick. They never would have expected them to go this low.

'I can't believe it. They are using the poor girl's disappearance to grab power…. Why does this seem so convenient?" Astrid thought to herself.

"Alright Mildew, stop! Now you are really going too far!" Spitelout suddenly interjected.

Now the Vikings from the Loyalists group were beyond confused. Wasn't taking power from Stoick Spitelout's plan?

"No Spitelout, this has to happen! For the good of the tribe and Viking culture Stoick must be replaced!" Mildew shouted back, getting some support from the other Vikings on Spitelout's traitor group. Everything was going to plan for them.

"AND WHO WOULD?!" Stoick shouted.

"The village will need to vote. For a strong and traditional Viking heir from a high standing clan! One who can lead us to glory!" Mildew proclaimed.

Several Vikings began shouting their approval. Though all of them were aware and part of Spitelout's plan. Then one name was shouted.

"Snotlout for heir!" Was shouted.

Soon enough multiple Vikings were chanting Snotlout's name. The latter looking very proud and his father had a smug smile, as if he wanted to say 'I win'.

Astrid and her father were horrified. They actually had the guts to go through with their sick plan. And it looked like they had succeeded. Meanwhile Valka was watching the entire scene with wide eyes and a horrified expression. If Stoick was usurped she would never see her little girl again, and she would suffer the same fate as baby Hiccup.

Angus then noticed Spitelout's smug smile, he then knew what was going on. And he'd rather be dead then let Spitelout succeed. He was about to stand up and object when the doors to the Great-Hall flew open and one of the guards who are on lookout duty stumbled in.

"CH...CHIEF!" The guard shouted out of breath.

"What is it!?" Stoick asked seeing that something was likely very wrong. Otherwise the guard wouldn't have entered like that.

"OU…OUTSIDE! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS!" The guard shouted before running back out.

Stoick and the rest of the village knew this was serious. They made their way outside with Stoick and Valka at the front. Valka secretly hoping her daughter was back. Before they went outside Stoick did give a murdering glare at Mildew.

Once they were outside they stopped and stared wide eyed to the sky. For out of the clouds right above the village had broken three large flying things. They had two fish shaped balloon like things on top with a cabin larger than a storage barn hanging underneath it. They were huge, and they came right for the village.

"What in Thor's name are those?" Gobber asked.

"I have no idea." Stoick answered.

Then two of the things broke of and began lowering towards the village while the third remained in the air circling the village.

"They're coming down!" Someone shouted.

"It's the Gods! The end of the world!" Another shouted.

Soon the crowd was in a full blown panic screaming and shouting things like end of the world and Ragnarök. It was chaos, children were crying and running everywhere while their parents desperately tried to find them to hold them close. The only ones who were not panicking were Stoick, Valka, Angus, Gobber, the teens and the Jorgensons.

Stoick looked closer to the strange things in the sky and saw they had some glass panelling on the front of the cabin. He looked closer and then he saw people behind it. His eyes widened realising that this was a human creation. He again looked closer… then on the side of the fish shaped balloons he saw an insignia he would never forget.

"It's them…" Stoick said.

"What…?" Gobber asked.

"EVERYONE CALM DOWN! THESE ARE NOT GODS! LOOK AT THE SIDE!" Stoick shouted while pointing at the insignia.

Due to Stoick's loud voice the crowd stopped screaming and looked to where he was pointing. When they saw it they knew what was coming at them, for they all recognised the insignia they were all searching information for. The Draconian Imperial crest was prominently visible on the side.

"What… Draconia?" Astrid said really surprised.

"He came back…" Stoick growled.

"All men grab your weapons!" Spitelout ordered. Truthfully he was worried. If Ryder was on board he could ruin his entire plan. "We will show these traitors what we are made of."

"NO! STAND DOWN!" Stoick shouted. He thought more rationally about this. If he were back he wanted something. There was no other reason he would come, and there was a chance he could get his daughter back. "LET THEM LAND!" He ordered.

"Stoick! Are you insane!?" Spitelout asked angrily.

"If it is Ryder, he could have my daughter! I want her back at any cost!" Stoick answered shouting.

"But…" Spitelout began.

"NO EXCUSES!" Stoick ordered.

Meanwhile the teens were watching the two flying machines with great interest while they descended towards the village. It looked like they were going to land behind it next to the Great-Hall.

"By Thor, a manmade machine that has the capability to fly. Amazing." Fishlegs analysed.

"That's what you're thinking about?" Astrid asked incredulously. She was more worried about the fact there were two likely very dangerous machines flying over the village, and the fact Ryder may be on board.

"Do you think he is on one of those?" Ruffnut asked.

"I don't know. The question is, is he alone?" Astrid answered.

The teens gulped with the prospect of something much more dangerous being on board.

By now the ships were low enough that they began to extend their landing legs. The mechanical sound was heard until deep into the village. The crowd watched as six mechanical legs extended from some sort of housing on both ships. Then they touched down.

The sound of the ships making contact with the ground sent shivers down the spines of the watching Vikings. It was a deep, metallic boom noise that indicated the entire weight of the ships now rested on their island. The ships lowered a little on the legs and the sound of engines powering down filled the air. The Viking spectators waited with baited breath.

Then the doors on the front of the ships unlocked and lowered themselves like a boarding ramp with a sound of gears spinning around. But what came out shook them even more.

When the ramps were fully lowered they could only see the blackness inside. But they could hear something, it sounded like a rhythm. It sounded like multiple steel boots hitting the floor all at the same time.

Then they came out, out of the ships came an enormously long row of what looked like soldiers marching. They were going in rows with two next to each other. Once they were of the ramp they split of in in left and right direction to form rows of soldiers in front of the ships. The Vikings did notice that they were all wearing the same or almost the same armour. The armour Ryder wore. They kept coming out of both ships and filling up the space in front of them. Suddenly something else exited the ships alongside the soldiers. Out of every ship came six large reptiles walking on their hind legs with another soldier wearing the identical armour on its back.

The Vikings were stunned. Some of them even backed away a bit. Out of both craft came an army's worth of heavily armed soldiers. The sound of their boots hitting the ground simultaneously vibrated in their spines. They stood at attention in front of them but they hadn't turned their faces to them yet. After a while the seemingly endless stream of soldiers came to an end and in front of them were four rectangle formations of what they guessed were about forty troops.

"BATTALION…TURN!" One of them suddenly shouted.

In an instant every single one of them turned to the crowd of Vikings at the exact same moment and stood there with their feet at shoulders width and their hands behind their back. Behind them were the six riders and their reptilian mounts. All staying stoically still, but their presence brought an air of terror over the Vikings.

"Are those… Raptors?" Fishlegs asked observing the reptiles.

"I think they are Fish, they're dragon riders." Astrid answered.

"They all look the same. Which one is Ryder?" Ruffnut asked.

Astrid observed the line for a while and found that she couldn't find him. At first sight they looked identical, but every single one of them was still different. She didn't get the chance to answer though.

Out of the left ship two extra figures exited. One looking like the rest of the soldiers armour wise though with some additions and modifications, the other in a plain white armour which was seemingly from the same type but wore a different type of helmet with T-visor. They walked casually, not in the marching pace the rest of them had done. They walked a little while until they stopped a little ways in front of the main force and waited there.

Now that they had stopped Astrid was able to better study the newcomers. It took her a second but then she recognised the man who had been on Berk a few weeks earlier. She gasped at her revelation, but she wasn't the only one who had noticed.

"Ryder! What is the meaning of this! Where is my daughter! You cursed traitor!" Stoick yelled at him.

Ryder however didn't flinch. He just remained standing still next to the person in white armour who did seem a little shorter than him.

"ANSWER ME! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!" Stoick shouted.

Then the person in white took a step forward and spoke.

"Calm down dad, you're really overreacting." Hicca said while taking her helmet off.

Many in the Village's mouths fell open in surprise. In front of them was Hicca, safe and sound. And she even made it seem like this wasn't so special.

The members of Spitelout's group of traitors were stunned even more. This wasn't part of the plan. Spitelout himself became nervous as his plan was basically ruined and he could very well be exposed.

"What…? HICCA! GET AWAY FROM THEM!" Stoick ordered.

"Dad…" Hicca began.

"AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING!" Stoick shouted without listening.

"Dad…." Hicca tried again.

"ARE YOU NOT LISTENING?! GET HERE THIS….!" Stoick screamed before he was interrupted.

"DAD, SHUT UP AND LISTEN!" Hicca shouted back with a volume that could rival Stoick's.

Stoick and the rest of the village was stunned. Hicca had never displayed that much of her voice.

"For my entire life our conversations have been one-sided like you just demonstrated! Well not anymore! Right now you are going to shut up and listen!" Hicca shouted.

Stoick being too surprised to object just nodded.

"First of all these people are far from traitors. Hell, without them I wouldn't be standing here. Without them I would be dead… or worse." Hicca said. "The truth is dad, if you are looking for a traitor you need to look to the village and not the Draconians."

The crowd gasped at this. There was a traitor amongst them? Yet none of them saw that Spitelout was swearing under his breath.

"Hicca? What do you mean? The only traitor here is him." Stoick said while pointing at Hiccup, who just kept standing still and seemingly didn't respond to Stoick's accusing. "He's riding a dragon for Thor's sake. They all are!" Stoick said while pointing at the Raptors on the back line.

"Would a traitor drop everything and race after me to rescue me when I was kidnapped? Would a traitor put his life on the line for me? Would a traitor get reinforcements to free me from enemy imprisonment? It doesn't matter if he rides a dragon or not. The real traitor is amongst you. Or did you think this entire abduction was random? It was all set up by one of your own dad." Hicca explained.

The Vikings began looking around wondering who could do something like that.

"Who was it then lass? And do ye have proof?" Gobber asked when Stoick didn't speak.

"I don't… but he has." Hicca said while pointing at Hiccup. "Commander, continue please." She ordered.

The title commander was whispered amongst the Vikings several times. Including the teens whose eyes had grown wide after Hicca's proclamation. He was very important after all.

"Affirmative miss." Hiccup answered playing his role. He then walked forward towards Stoick and spoke. "Chief, on behalf of the empire I would like to apologise for the deception. But it was necessary if our attempts to stop a coup were to be successful." Hiccup apologised. Stoick watched him with weary eyes but did nothing to stop him. "That being said…" Hiccup continued. He then reached for the leather cylinder, took it from his belt and took the recovered documents out. "These documents were recovered from Outcast island during the rescue operation for you daughter. They contain some sensitive information about the traitor you might find very interesting." He said while giving Stoick the papers and putting the cylinder back.

Spitelout knew he had to intervene now or he would be very screwed. Since he knew what was in those documents. He cursed himself for being so careless.

"LIES! You're just trying to cover for yourself! Stoick those documents are obviously fake!" Spitelout shouted to try to get Stoick on his side.

But the attempt was in vain as Stoick was already reading the papers and was frowning more and more as the seconds passed. Then he turned to Spitelout with a murderous glare.

"Spitelout… You did this?! You traitorous BASTARD!" Stoick shouted. All eyes of the Vikings not on Spitelout's group of traitors were on the latter instantly.

Spitelout knew he was stuck and tried to lie himself out of it as a last ditch effort. "What… Stoick are you mad? I'm your brother-in-law, I would never…" He tried but he was interrupted.

"NO MORE LIES SPITELOUT! THIS IS YOUR HANDWRITING, IT HAS YOUR SINATURE AND YOUR FAMILY CREST ON IT!" Stoick shouted while pointing at the offending documents. He then gave them to Valka for reference.

"You're right! This is Spitelout's writing!" Valka said surprised and angry.

Spitelout, knowing he was exposed tried to rile up the villagers in hopes to turn this in his favour. He and his conspirators had formed a tight group and Spitelout went in verbal confrontation with Stoick as he had no other option.

"Yes, I did! For the good of the village! You have always been a pacifist Stoick and this is what happens!" He said gesturing to Hiccup and his troops. "Berk gets invaded! And what about your heir? Everyone knows the village would collapse the moment she becomes chief!"

Hicca looked at Hiccup after this proclamation but he just shook his head to say she shouldn't listen to him. That he was wrong. Though no-one else saw this interaction.

"My son would be a much better successor! He is the embodiment of Vikingness! Strong, brave,…" Spitelout said.

"Stupid, egocentric, jealous,… Should I continue?" Hiccup suddenly quipped.

Several Vikings from the crowd snickered. Ryder hadn't lost his sense of sarcasm. Snotlout and Spitelout however were fuming.

"You stay out of it traitor! Without you all of this would have worked! I had everything planned out! I even have a large part of the village behind me!" Spitelout lied. He only had a group of about thirty Vikings, about ten percent of the population. "And you can't stop me Stoick! You don't even know who you can trust."

Stoick's eyes widened at this, Spitelout had a point. He had no idea they were even planning a coup on him much less who was on his side. The only people he could trust were Valka, Hicca and maybe Gobber. Everyone else was an unknown.

Seeing that Stoick was stuck Angus was about to step forward and help him out but he was once again interrupted, by Hicca.

"Unfortunately for you Spitelout…, I do know who I can trust." Hicca said with a smirk.

Several Vikings looked at the girl and she had a look like she knew something they didn't. Angus wondered if she knew about the loyalists. Though what she did next no one expected.

Hicca then turned to Hiccup. "Commander…you know what to do." She said.

"Affirmative Miss Haddock." Hiccup answered. The Vikings were stunned that Ryder, obviously an important figure in the Draconian empire allowed himself to be commanded by Hicca.

"Wha…" Spitelout said.

Hiccup then raised his right hand with two fingers extended he also drew his sword with his left hand and extended it. Instantly one of the four rectangles of troops shot into action and simultaneously drew their weapons. At was a mash up of different types, many had single or dual swords, there were axes, one of the bigger guys even had a hammer and there was one with a glaive. All had drawn their weapons and took a step forward. Six of the raptors had also moved.

The Viking crowd took a step back seeing this slightly aggressive move. Then Ryder spoke.

"By order of the Hairy Hooligan heir and the authority of the Draconian Empire, Spitelout Jorgenson and associates are under arrest for charges of treason and attempted murder of the Hairy Hooligan Heir. Surrender peacefully and you will be treated fairly. Resist…, and we will use deadly force." Hiccup said stepping forward with the squad of troops and Raptors following uniformly.

The Vikings made wide eyes. Ryder had just threatened to attack Spitelout and his henchmen if they didn't surrender. And with the army behind him and the third ship in the air above them. Though they didn't know its full capabilities though its presence was menacing.

"You don't scare me Draconian! We can take you on any day!" Spitelout shouted to Ryder pulling a sword. His henchmen also pulling their weapons.

Stoick now understood that a confrontation was inevitable but the Draconian Imperial troops were presumably on their side. Well, at least on Hicca's side. He knew he couldn't allow the rest of the village to mix in this fight since that wouldn't end well. So he took action.

"Any Viking who is still loyal to me will stand down! Let them handle this!" Stoick ordered to the great surprise of many, but they obeyed and backed off.

Snotlout, having recovered reasonably from his earlier defeat against Ryder was hungry for revenge and charged without thinking. He hoped to get the jump on him and take him down quickly. He had no idea what he was running into.

Hiccup saw him coming from miles away and unlike last time he had no reason to hold back. Snotlout swung his sword down in a wide arc, Hiccup dodged to the left and hooked his sword behind Snotlout's. Sending it flying with one firm tug. Then before Snot could react Hiccup grabbed his throat and swung him over his shoulder sending him flying and face-planting in the dirt a few meters behind him before turning towards Spitelout again.

"Restrain him!" Hiccup ordered. Immediately after two troops grabbed a still dazed Snotlout by the shoulders of the ground and dragged him away.

Spitelout, seeing what had happened to his overzealous son was enraged and charged Hiccup, his henchmen following after him with a mighty war cry.

Hiccup stopped in his tracks, raised his right fist and then pointed towards the group with two extended fingers. Signalling his troops to attack.

The response came quickly as the squad broke into a sprint and almost barrelled into the oncoming but disorganised horde of Vikings.

The Draconian troops and the Vikings clashed. There were two major differences in their fighting though. While the Vikings were fighting to kill the troops, the Draconians were only here to subdue them. The other difference was that while Vikings were reasonable fighters, the Draconian troops were professionals.

Spitelout went straight for Hiccup seeing that he was the force's Commander. Their swords met and Spitelout gave it his all. Yet Hiccup didn't budge at all. Hiccup then wrenched their swords apart and used this opening to hit Spitelout right across the face, making him stumble backwards. Spitelout however recovered quickly and jumped right back in.

Their swords met again and Spitelout thought it was a good idea to try and taunt his opponent. Like that ever worked.

"Give it up Ryder! You can't hope to ever win against us Vikings!" Spitelout said smugly.

"Oh no? Then I guess you better take a good look around Spitelout. Then you'll see whose winning." Hiccup said back.

And it was true, the Vikings were overwhelmed by the sheer skill and numbers of the Imperial troops. Their weapons were batted away, they were forced on the ground and dragged away, they were being incapacitated by the flat of their swords or a hit from a blunt weapon. The Raptors and their riders were rampaging through the Viking ranks. Head-butting Vikings up into the air or stepping on them to knock them out. Instead of sharp weapons or their crossbows their riders were using their blunt batons, designed to knock their targets out cold.

Spitelout saw this while trying to land a hit on Hiccup and went eyes wide. Hiccup spoke again when their swords locked the next time. "As you can see we're not the ones losing Spitelout." Hiccup said.

He then forced Spitelout sword away and kicked him in the knees. Spitelout bucked forwards and was met by an armoured kneepad in his face. The force of the impact made him drop his sword and stumble backwards onto the ground.

There he saw that his force was getting overrun at every corner. Some of the Vikings had realised that this was a battle they couldn't win and made a run for it. An alert rider saw this however and grabbed a special kind of grenade from his belt, activated it and threw it at the Vikings trying to escape. The grenade exploded in a blue mist and the ones trying to escape seemed to be frozen in place. They were then also dragged away by Imperial troops.

Spitelout got back up and attempted to do damage to Hiccup by throwing random punches, screaming with every try. "I…WILL…NEVER…SURRENDER!" He shouted.

Spitelout was then slashed across the cheek, hit by several punches and got an armoured boot in the face. He fell on his back and tried to get up but Hiccup kicked him in the face again, rolling him over. He still tried to get up though.

"You really never give up do you?" Hiccup said. He then turned to a nearby Raptor and his rider and pointed at Spitelout. "Hold him down!" He ordered.

The rider nodded and the Raptor put one of his legs on Spitelout's back forcing him back on the ground.

By now the fight was as good as over with a very clear victory as the final remaining Vikings of Spitelout's group threw down their weapons and surrendered. Hiccup and his troops had won.

Hiccup was looking around for any casualties when his attention was grabbed by one of the officers. A female sergeant called to him. "Commander, could you come here for a second?" She asked.

When he arrived he found the sergeant holding the Thorston twin by their necks in front of him.

"What should we do with these two? They seemed really clueless about what was going on." The sergeant said.

"Do you know what's going on?" Tuffnut asked his sister confused.

"I have no idea…. That armour is cool though." Ruffnut answered.

Hiccup looked around and saw both the twins' parents being restrained on the ground. Then he remembered that the twins were total idiots and they were never present at one of the meetings.

'They likely were left out because they would spill in an instant. Like Fishlegs.' Hiccup thought. "They're idiots. Let them go. They had no involvement in this coup, it would be wrong to prosecute the when innocent." Hiccup ordered.

"Very well sir." She said. She then released the twins from her hold and motioned for them to move to the main Viking crowd. "You're free to go. Please move." She said. The twins did what they were told and quickly moved to where Stoick and the rest of the Vikings were standing.

"ALRIGHT! LINE THEM UP! STRAIGHT LINE, ON THEIR KNEES!" Hiccup ordered. The now imprisoned traitors were dragged into a line and forced on their knees with multiple troops behind them to make sure they remained seated.

Hiccup marched along the entire line to inspect, then turned and moved back towards Hicca where he saluted and reported. "All traitors apprehended and restrained Miss Haddock." Hiccup said while tucking away his sword.

"Good work Commander, at ease." Hicca said, making the most of the only time Hiccup allowed her to command him.

Stoick stepped forward from the crowd and went to Spitelout. "I never thought you would be the one betraying me. You were my brother Spitelout…. I'll make sur your punishment is very severe." Stoick said to him. He was only met with a harsh glare on a bruised and bloody face.

"And you…" Stoick said while pointing and moving towards Hiccup. He stopped a few meters in front of him, dropped his arm and his face gloomy but with small traces of regret. "…I owe you an apology. You may be a dragon rider, but you also saved my daughter and stopped a coup attempt. And for that I am grateful. Plus my daughter seems to trust you and maybe I should trust her judgement more." Stoick signed.

"All part of the job chief." Hiccup answered.

"Good now that that is all done, we should move on to other news." Hicca said.

"Hicca, can it wait? We should first make sure these traitors are locked up secure. Though I have no doubt in the skills of these people, I'll feel much more secure when they are behind bars." Stoick said, he then turned around to find loyal Vikings who would help him take the traitors to the prisons when Hicca stopped him.

"Actually dad, I think they need to see this." Hicca said.

"See what?" Stoick asked while turning back around.

"It's about his true identity." Hicca said while pointing at Hiccup.

The remaining Viking crowd turned their heads to the man they knew as Ryder, but that was obviously not his name.

'So his name isn't Ryder?' Astrid thought.

The Vikings were intrigued. It made sense for a spy to hide his true name. But what was so special to make him reveal it now?

Stoick turned to Hiccup. "Your true identity? So your name isn't Ryder?" He asked.

Hiccup scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Well,…uh…I'm not really sure how to break this to you sir…but…" Hiccup said nervously.

Stoick looked at him curiously, why was he so nervous? Hicca however just face palmed.

"Oh for Thor's sake Hic! Just take off your helmet!" Hicca said.

"Did she just call him Hic?" Gobber asked.

Hiccup nodded. "Right…" He then reached behind his helmet. There were several clicking sounds when the helmet unlocked and Hiccup then slowly removed it from his head. Several antagonizingly long seconds later the helmet was off and clipped to his belt, revealing a young man with shaggy auburn hair with a long, single braid of hair behind his right ear. He looked at them with vibrant, emerald green eyes.

The crowd gasped, Valka hit her hands over her mouth and made wide eyes. Stoick gasped and dropped his hammer at the sight. While the teens were clueless about why everyone was reacting like that.

Several Vikings about Stoick's age began whispering. "By Thor…I don't believe it" "He's alive." "Splitting image." "But he was killed." "Can't be possible." "The lad lives." And many more lines were whispered.

Valka stepped forward in wonder, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. "C…could it be…, after all these years?" She asked. When she was right in front of him she tried to touch his cheek when she noticed the small scar on his chin. Then she gasped. "The scar… the one you got when you were taken… Hiccup?" She asked with tears in her eyes.

"… Hey mom…" Hiccup answered.

That was all Valka needed to hear as she flung herself around his shoulders and cried of happiness. She had her son back. Unfortunately someone had to try and ruin this moment.

"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! YOUR RUNT DIED EIGHTEEN YEARS AGO! HE'S A FAKE!" Spitelout screamed.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and motioned for his troops to shut him up. Which they did by knocking Spitelout out.

"Don't listen to anything he says. He is the real one. He can prove it." Hicca said.

Hiccup nodded and Valka released him for a moment. Hiccup then pulled his necklace containing the bracelet from under his armour and showed it to his mother. "The only thing I've had with me for my entire life." He said showing the bracelet.

"Hiccup H. H. III" Valka read. "It is really you!"

Now the teens understood who he really was and now did Astrid understand why she thought he looked so familiar when she saw his face for the first time.

Then Stoick snapped out of his daze and walked towards Hiccup and Valka who still wouldn't release each other. "After eighteen years… I never dared to hope you might have been alive." He said.

"The world might surprise you dad…" Hiccup answered.

Then Stoick grabbed both his wife and son and began hugging them to death. "Welcome home son..." He said equally tearful as Valka.

"Hello dad." Hiccup said.

Stoick laughed. "Tonight we feast! For my daughter has returned… and my son is alive!" He proclaimed. The Vikings cheered at this. "But first we must lock these traitors away, we'll decide their fate later.

"Allow me dad." Hiccup said. He then was released by both his parents and turned to his troops holding the traitors down. "Alright, listen up! Escort all these traitors to the village prison blocks, do not let them escape! Afterwards report back here!" He ordered.

"Sir?" One of the soldiers asked.

"Yes what is it?" Hiccup asked.

"Where are the Village prisons?" The soldier asked. Hiccup opened his mouth to speak but then he remembered he didn't know where they were, so he just stood there like a gaping fish for a second. Gobber saw this and anticipated.

"I got it lad. Follow me! I'll lead the way!" Gobber said to Hiccup's troops. To which Hiccup motioned them to follow.

"Follow him. Double time!" Hiccup ordered.

The traitors were hefted onto their feet and led away by the Draconians who were following Gobber.

Stoick chuckled. "Commanding your own army. You really must have a story to tell. Let's go home so you can tell all about it."

Hiccup held out his hand to stop Stoick. "I'm going to stop you right there. You'll have to wait until tonight to hear my story since I still have a lot to do. Seeing that we will be staying here for a while." Hiccup said gesturing to the rest of his troops.

Stoick looked a little bit dejected but accepted anyway. "Alright, then we'll see you at the feast." He said, he then looked up to the Draconians behind Hiccup. "And bring your troops as well. From now on they are our guests!"

Hiccup nodded gratefully and turned around. "Alright, set up camp around the landing site! Perform a perimeter sweep around the area and store the dragons back inside afterwards! No diplomatic incidents anymore!" He ordered. He then gazed into the sky and motioned for the third airship to land.

"SIR, YES SIR!" Came the answer.

Stoick looked proud to the man his son had grown into and he was dying to know the stories he had to tell. But then his eye fell on an approaching blonde teen with a battle axe. And she didn't look very happy. 'Oh no…' He thought.

Hiccup turned back around after giving out the orders only to come face to face with an angry looking Shield-maiden. Before he could say anything she slapped him in the face…hard.

Several Vikings cringed as that looked like it hurt. And it did.

Hiccup held his cheek and cringed. "Ouch, yep… I deserve that one."

"You…" Astrid began shakenly.

Hiccup stopped her before she could say anything. "Astrid, wait… before you say anything let me speak first."

Astrid said nothing and Hiccup continued.

"I know I lied and I'm truly sorry. Should the situation have been any different I wouldn't have. I genuinely liked the time we spend together. I really did. I just couldn't tell you the truth." Hiccup said. "If I did you would all have shipped me away instantly and my mission would have failed…. I know you must hate me, and I understand if you don't want to talk to me ever again after this. I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Astrid raised her hand again and Hiccup braced himself for another hit. But it never came. Astrid just signed. "You lied, yes. But I can't help but think you had a reason to. I won't forgive you so easily." She said while pointing at him. "But I am willing to listen…you better have a damn good story to tell Haddock!"

"Very well miss Hofferson." Hiccup answered. To which he got a fierce glare which he backed away from a bit. "Astrid… I get it, Astrid." He corrected.

Astrid made a smug smile, then she frowned again. "But don't you ever lie to me again…" She seethed.

"Affirmative." Hiccup nodded nervously.

Astrid then walked away and Hicca came up next to her brother. "Looks like you dodged a crossbow bolt there." She joked.

"Yup, she can be scary…" Hiccup answered.

Stoick chuckled. "Aye, she definitely can son. But you were really brave to say the truth to her. Well done."

"Yeah thanks." Hiccup answered.

"So, let's get to work right?" Hicca asked.

Hiccup smiled and took his helmet from his belt. "Alright pipsqueak, let's go." He said laughing.

"What are you going to do?" Valka asked.

"I'm helping him out. See you all tonight." Hicca said while she put her helmet back on and ran to the now rising encampment.

Hiccup looked at her running of, shrugged, saluted to Valka and Stoick and ran off himself.

Valka and Stoick just stood there wondering what had happened between those two when they were gone.

 **Alright, this was like eight thousand and a bit words so I think it's long enough. And I really wanted to cram all of this in it. All these events just needed to be in one chapter, otherwise it would be weird in my opinion.**

 **Anyhow I don't really know what to say. This chapter has been flying around my head for a long time and I hope I did a good job putting it on paper. So anyways Spitelout has been captured, Hiccup has been revealed and a storytelling chapter with more reveals is coming up. Also did I capture Astrid's reaction right?**

 **By the way, I love the reveal scene for the airships and the landing sequence. Also the Hiccup reveal though. Let me know what you think.**

 **Reviews:**

 **OechsnerC: well I hope you're satisfied.**

 **TheKingOfAll: I'm not planning on any more plot twists no. Hicca leaving will be explained next chapter and you saw what Astrid thought. More about that also next chapters.**

 **mc arno: indeed thank you. I have decided to keep the period in which the Haddock siblings are on Berk reasonably short. They still have other things to do.**

 **5: hmm, I don't think Hiccup is that vicious. Nah, just keep it a blood eagle. And the bazooka invention is maybe an idea for a sequel. When they are on Berk permanently, invent it and it then falls in the hands of the twins for instance.**

 **Stormfly1124: thanks for giving your opinion. I'll see what I'll do with it.**

 **orca3553: I hope I captured Valka's reaction to your liking. But taking them back to Draconia doesn't really work for the further plot. Also I'm glad you asked about Draco since I already have his backstory thought out and have a solid reason why he won't be appearing. I can give that explanation in the next chapter during Hiccup's story time if you wish.**

 **Thearizona: that is exactly what I thought as well.**

 **KittyWithAKnife: I think they had their share of scares now. PS: any louder and they might hear you. Lol.**

 **Ghost Dragon Master: don't feel sorry for him, he's an asshole. Also Haddock just means dangerous dragons in canon. (Nightfury, Stormcutter, Rumblehorn…) See what I mean.**

 **assasins death: nah don't worry about it mate. As for pairing Hicca, I'm not going to do that. At least not in this story. I think that would make it even more complicated. And thanks for the compliments.**

 **Vfuertejr: hope you're satisfied. Also how do you pronounce that name?**

 **Looperst: or C, follow the plot that has been written out since the beginning. It's an interesting idea but it doesn't really fit here. But I could have Snotlout return in a sequel. Hmmm….. interesting.**

 **Anyway, this chapter has been a blast. Until next time everyone.**

 **Dismissed**


	15. Chapter 15: Story time

**I'm not dead, just having a lot to do. Explanation for the long wait in the authors not below.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Chapter 15: Story time**

 **Berk, evening, 266 ADF**

Even after it was revealed that the chief's long lost son was the commander of the Draconian troops on their island they were still a little uneasy during the hours leading up to the feast. The adults wisely moved out of the way every time a Draconian patrol crossed their path. They had been patrolling the village and forest perimeter, mostly to find any traitors who might have escaped the initial conflict. The younger children and the remaining teens however stared in wonder every time they passed. They weren't used to seeing so many different men and women dressed uniformly and armed to the teeth march through the village. And if there was one difference between Vikings and Draconians, it was discipline.

Stoick could confirm this since when he wasn't making preparations for the feast he took every opportunity to look at the Draconian encampment and look at his son and daughter work side by side. Hiccup was directing hundreds of people at the same time, and he did so quite efficiently. The encampment was built in little under two hours, which was very fast considering it was an encampment build around the three giant flying machines they came in and housed what Stoick guessed to be well over two hundred troops. He saw how they worked together like a well-oiled machine and occasionally he even saw his daughter running around with them. Seeing that she was very recognisable in the white armour. Though he had no idea why she wore it.

He had no time to question it however since the feast was about to start and he was needed inside the Great-Hall.

Meanwhile the teens were also on their way there after spending the day helping out with the feast and contemplating the events.

"I've got to say… that armour is hot…" Ruffnut said when another patrol crossed their paths.

"Ruffnut! Gods, you don't even know what they look like underneath the helmet! Some of them are even women!" Astrid said.

"But Hiccup's hot." Ruffnut replied with a wink.

"Ruff….!" Astrid said blushing.

"Aw, come on. You know you like him." Ruffnut said.

"Change of subject please! Fishlegs, say something!" Astrid ordered.

"Yeah, have you seen all the cool stuff they brought?" Tuffnut asked.

"Like the giant airships nobody can miss…" Ruffnut said sarcastically.

"Oh my god! Yes! They're amazing! I wonder how much they can load in those! It would easily be ten times than our biggest boat! And think about all the dragons they could have! Or everything they know!" Fishlegs rambled.

"I'm sure Hiccup and Hicca will have plenty of story to tell. Damn,… calling him Hiccup is still weird." Astrid said.

"That's because you knew him first as Ryder. And you knew him better than we did." Fishlegs said.

"That's true Astrid. Though I am curious what he can tell us." Ruffnut asked.

"And if it is the real story." Tuffnut continued.

"I'm sure it will be. He has no reason to lie right?" Fishlegs asked.

"Let us hope so." Astrid said. 'Otherwise I'll kill him.' She thought. "Come on, let's go! We can't be late for the feast." She said.

Agreeing the four made their way up the stairs and into the Great-Hall, where many Vikings were already present and waiting for their village's guests. The teens took place at their respective families table with Ruffnut and Tuffnut joining Fishlegs since their parents were imprisoned by the Draconians and Gobber. At the main table were only Gobber, Gothi, Valka and Stoick present. The latter standing in front waiting for his daughter and long-lost son while the rest was sitting at the table quietly conversing.

 **Draconian third legion encampment, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and Hicca were standing in the middle of the encampment, they were about to leave for the Great-Hall but Hiccup said they had to wait for a moment since he still expected a report. He didn't need to wait long because one of the lower officers came to him.

"Sir, all patrols have reported back. The perimeter is secure and no further hostiles have been found." The officer reported.

"Good, tell the troops to take some time off. We're in friendly territory so we only need to put up a low guard." Hiccup said.

"Will be done sir." The officer replied.

"And tell everyone who wished to come along to the Viking feast to assemble here. We'll go there as one group." Hiccup said.

"Roger that." The officer said and moved off to inform the rest of the encampment.

"So? Ready to tell another long story?" Hicca asked.

"They'll have to know if we wish for them to understand our situation. What happened today is really out of the ordinary for them." Hiccup said.

"There will be questions. And dad won't be happy when we tell him I joined you guys as well." Hicca said.

"Indeed, but we'll plough through it. We always do." Hiccup said.

"And what about our dragons? They know of Toothless but what about Elysia?" Hicca asked.

"I'll explain it to them. But for now we should leave them here. If we bring them people might actually die from a heart-attack." Hiccup laughed.

"On that we agree." Hicca said.

A few moments later their group was assembled and they made ready to leave.

"Battalion, parade march." Hiccup ordered. And they set off.

 **Berk Great-Hall, evening, 266 ADF**

Everyone in the Hall was still waiting for both Haddock siblings to arrive. It was in their honour that the party was held but they still hadn't arrived.

"Where are they? They should be here already." Tuffnut said impatiently.

"Quit you whining doofus! They'll come." Ruffnut said while giving Tuffnut a smack on the head.

"It's not that strange he's late. I mean… he is a high ranking officer. He certainly has some responsibilities." Fishlegs said, getting nods from his parents next to him.

The Ingerman family had agreed to welcome the remaining Thorstons who weren't involved in what many began to call the Spitelout betrayal. It was weird at first but they let the two twins be. After all they had to carry the actions of their family with them. And many felt that this was only the beginning for them.

"Yeah, I know. We've been looking at the camp for almost the entire afternoon. General Hot-stuff does work hard." Ruffnut said.

"Gods… how am I related to you?" Tuffnut asked.

"First of all, he's a commander. And guys… stop, please." Fishlegs said.

"I mean come on… he would make any man jealous. Have you looked at him?" Ruffnut continued.

"Sis, I think you shouldn't say that too loud. Because someone else has already called dibs I think." Tuffnut said.

"That doesn't stop me from looking. And a looker he is." Ruffnut said.

Fishlegs meanwhile was groaning and face palming at the twin's antics. This was going to be a long night. Before the conversation could continue heavy footsteps could be heard outside of the doors and the Hall quieted down for a bit.

The doors swung open revealing Hiccup and Hicca with a small group of about forty troops behind them. They knew it was them even though they were all wearing their helmets, again. They uniformly marched into the Hall, closing the doors behind them.

Once they reached the centre Hiccup spoke. "Battalion, halt! Parade rest!" He ordered.

Immediately every trooper including Hicca stopped and stood still with their feet at shoulder width and their hand resting behind their backs, looking straight forward to Stoick's table. Now the Vikings had a chance to look to the various troops who had just marched inside. All except Hicca they wore the same type of colour coded armour. Thought there were some differences. There were some troops who were wearing the same type of strange skirt Hiccup and Hicca both wore. Though no-one knew what this meant.

Hiccup and Hicca then stepped forward and mounted the platform Stoick's table was on. Where they both turned to their father.

"Father…" Hiccup greeted. "The table seems very empty."

"I invited the ones I knew I could trust to sit here." Stoic answered.

"You are correct in you assumption of people but you still missed some." Hiccup said. "But before that, are there still some spaces left for my troops? I brought the ones who volunteered to come." He asked.

"Oh, yes of course. Over there is some space." Stoick said while gesturing to some empty tables nearby.

Hiccup nodded and turned to his troops. "At ease. You're all relieved of duty. Take a seat." He said while pointing to the empty seats.

The third legion troops relaxed their positions and casually moved to the table. They began conversing and took of their helmets which they placed in front of them while seated.

"So,… son? What did you say about missing some people?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup turned back to his father. "What I mean is that there were also people in your village who were actively supporting you. It is because of them that I knew where to focus my efforts." He explained.

Angus perked up curiously. Did he know about them as well?

"There were?" Stoick asked.

"Yes, and I say they deserve to be seated here as well. The leaders of the loyalist's I mean." Hiccup explained.

Now Angus was certain. He knew, but the question was… how?

"Because of Angus Hofferson's efforts I knew where I needed to look. Without them my mission would have been a lot harder, and possibly failed." Hiccup said.

Stoick looked at Angus with wide eyes. "Is this true?" He asked.

Angus stood up and spoke to Stoick. "Yes, our family and allies have always been loyal to you chief. We worked in the shadows to protect your rule." He said.

Stoick hummed. "Very well Angus. Then I would like to invite you to this table together with your family. If all this is true you deserve it for your loyalty." He said.

"Thank you chief." Angus said while the Hoffersons stood up and made their way to the central table. "But we aren't the only ones who helped. There are other families who did just as much as we did."

"And they will be rewarded. But let us now sit and feast! And treat our guests with the finest hospitality we can offer! And send a barrel of mead or two outside as well!" Stoick bellowed happily.

The Draconians looked at Hiccup briefly for confirmation. Hiccup just nodded and moved to the table with Hicca. The Hofferson family had already sat down. Stoick was at the head with Valka to his left and Gobber to his right. Next to Gobber where Gothi, Angus and Astrid's mom. Hicca sat down next to Valka and Hiccup next to Hicca. Both simultaneously removing their helmets and slamming them down in front of them. When they were seated Astrid decided to take the chair next to Hiccup.

Food and mead as distributed all around the Hall. The feast had begun. On the central table however all eyes were on Hiccup and his sister. And their outfits by extension.

"So eh Hiccup…? How have you been?" Gobber asked.

Hiccup and his sister just looked at Gobber incredulously, that was the strangest question yet.

"What…?" Hiccup asked.

"I think he wants you to tell your tales Hiccup. He just doesn't know how to talk to you yet." Hicca said.

The rest of the table's occupants nodded at Hicca's explanation.

"Hmm, I guess that makes sense." Hiccup said. "So… where do I start?"

Instantly the Great-Hall was silent and all eyes were fixed on Hiccup and the central table.

"Why don't you start at the beginning son." Stoick answered.

"And tell us the real story this time." Astrid seethed next to him making Hiccup a little nervous.

"Alright, I'll start with the first thing I can remember." Hiccup began. The occupants of the central table and the rest of the Vikings in the hall subconsciously leaned closer so they wouldn't miss a single detail.

Hiccup leaned back in his chair and rested both his feet on the table top to assume a comfortable position. Now the table's occupants could clearly see just how heavy these boots were, they could see the plated armour spread over it and the knife tucked in the right boot. Hiccup then began his story. "The first thing I remember would be me growing up inside the wall of the imperial palace in the Capitol. I was…"

"WHAT!" Several voices shouted interrupting Hiccup in his story.

"Hold on! You said you grew up in a small village! What is this palace talk?" Astrid asked loudly.

Hiccup signed. "That was a lie Astrid. I was in fact raised by the Imperial royal family itself. I consider the Emperor to be my surrogate father." He explained.

"Why would you lie about that?" Astrid asked.

"Would you not have asked questions about a traveller who turned up in your village who was raised by the most powerful people on the northern hemisphere? Trust me, you would have." Hiccup said.

To this Astrid nodded in understanding.

"So, you were basically raised royalty?" Gobber asked.

"Yes I was. Though I have always been very level headed. To me it was just where I grew up, I didn't consider myself better than anyone else. Unlike certain people." Hiccup said. "Now please don't interrupt so I can continue my story. Everything I say now is the truth."

The Vikings nodded and motioned Hiccup to continue.

"Anyway, I grew up in the royal palace of Draconia. My adoptive parent told me I was found on one of the balconies eighteen years ago. They took me in and raised me as one or their own. Their biological daughter, princess Maery was like a sister to me. She still is." Hiccup said while turning to Hicca. "But so are you." He said with a wink. "All in all I had a pretty normal youth. At least as normal as it could be with the war going on."

The Vikings made wide eyes at this statement. This was new.

"War?" Fishlegs said quietly to himself.

"What are you talking about son? The war ended three years ago." Stoick said thinking Hiccup was talking about the war with the dragons.

Hiccup shook his head and signed. "Not that war dad. Draconia has never had any problems with dragons, that should be obvious by now. Hell, I ride a dragon for Thor's sake. No…the war I'm talking about is the Draconian-Norn war. I'll come back to that later." He explained.

Stoick nodded in understanding and motioned him to continue.

"Speaking about dragons, I believe you all know what dragon I ride by now." Hiccup said.

"The Nightfury…" Astrid said next to him.

"Indeed." Hiccup nodded. "I met him when I was only five years old. We bonded quickly and he became my best friend. Ever since then we have been doing everything together. That is also why I had some reservations about your tradition to kill all dragons on sight, when Snotlout tried to insult my beliefs the last time I told a story I had to really resist the urge to lash out to him. I maybe am a little protective of Toothless." He said.

Several Vikings sniggered at the name. "Toothless?" Astrid asked. "You named the unholy offspring of lightning and death, the most dangerous dragon know Toothless?"

Hiccup laughed at this. "I expected a reaction like this. He's named that because the Nightfury has retractable teeth. When I first met him I called him Toothless and I guess the name just stuck." He explained.

"He can be really cute when he tries." Hicca said.

Several Vikings started mumbling at this. They couldn't get their heads around the fact that dragons weren't mindless killing machines although this had already been proven wrong multiple times.

"Anyway, several years later when I was old enough I started working in one of the workshops in the capitol. You could compare it with the forge in the village only a lot bigger." Hiccup said.

"A lot bigger is an understatement Hiccup. Those halls were enormous, like bigger than the Great-Hall times two." Hicca said.

"Whoa…" Gobber gasped already imagining what he could do with that much space.

"Yes indeed. Gobber, I remember I did tell you a little bit about them already." Hiccup said.

"Yes you did lad, you said you made everything from ships to weapons to tools and building machinery." Gobber almost quoted.

"Nothing wrong with your memory I see." Hiccup joked earning a few chuckles. "Although that wasn't the full truth. We do build those in there but there are some things I purposely left out."

"Like those damn flying machines outside?" Astrid asked.

"Those are one of them yes. Due to the war I had to hide the fact that we made large scale weapons. Telling you that would have aroused suspicion." Hiccup explained looking at Angus who gave him a nod.

'The lad was quite smart to hide that.' Angus thought.

"So what did you make there?" Valka asked curiosity taking over.

"You have seen the airships, but on the side there are several weapons mounted that are made there as well. We have the many versions of the Draconian artillery cannon, high explosive ammunition shells, personal armour and trooper weapons." Hiccup summed up.

"Don't forget the tank you…humph…" Hicca started but she was silenced by Hiccup put a hand over her mouth.

"That's still classified outside the empire Hicca, please be quiet." Hiccup said getting a few looks from the surrounding Vikings. "Sorry, Imperial regulations state we can't talk about military projects until deployed in the field." He explained.

"Alright lad, but I've been meaning to ask ye. What kind of weapons are you carrying? Because it isn't like anything I've ever seen." Gobber asked.

"And I suppose you want me to show off what I have on me?" Hiccup asked with a smirk.

"Well yeah lad, don't leave me hanging here." Gobber said.

To this Hiccup took his feet off the table top and began taking out his weapons. He pulled out his sword but didn't extend it and laid it on the table. He then began pulling out several throwing knives, normal knives, two different grenades which looked like strange cylinders and only Astrid knew what they did, to which she backed off a bit. In the end he also put a few of his crossbow bolts on the table.

"This would be what I have on me. Most of it has been slightly modified from the original by me." Hiccup said.

The sword was passed to Gobber who was studying it with wonder while the others looked at the rest of the gear that was on the table. Then Astrid noticed something.

"Wait a minute. This isn't everything." Astrid said. The rest of the table looked briefly to her and then to Hiccup. "Where are those blades you used do decapitate Alvin? Or the bow to fire those bolts?" She asked.

Hiccup and Hicca chuckled. "You really notice everything do you Astrid." Hiccup said.

"I'm not one of the best warriors of the village without a reason Hiccup." She said smirking. "Now where are they? They have to be in one of these pouches." She said while looking at Hiccup's belt.

"Not at all Astrid, look up." Hiccup laughed as he raised his left arm and balled his fist. Astrid looked up and the Vikings focused on Hiccup's arm. Hicca meanwhile was trying not to laugh as she knew what her brother was about to do.

Hiccup smirked and flicked his wrist downwards causing the wrist-blades to spring out of their housing with a loud click.

The Vikings gasped in surprise and Astrid jumped back a bit because she was so close to the blades. Hiccup laughed and flicked his wrist upwards to pull the blades back, then flicked downwards to extend them again.

"A spring-loaded system that simply said gives me claws you can't remove unless I take my armour off. It's great for surprise attacks and close quarters." Hiccup laughed.

Astrid grumbled and hit him on the back of the head as retaliation for him scaring her.

"Ow…, why did you do that…?!" Hiccup asked exaggerating.

"You could at least give us a little warning." She said.

"Aw, come on. Where's the fun in that?" Hiccup laughed.

Astrid just grumble but could see the humour in the situation. Hiccup meanwhile retracted his blades again. They looked at each other and started quietly laughing. It was quite funny.

"That's a neat trick son." Angus said. "But I have one question. What do those strange cylinders do?"

Astrid instantly looked weary at the devices, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed.

Hiccup picked one of them up in response and began tossing it up and down. "A great question Angus, if I remember correctly we only used these twice here on Berk. The first time during the raid and the second time only a few hours ago. I think no-one except Astrid saw the first time actually." He said.

"It wasn't really something I wanted to see Hiccup." Astrid said.

"Understandable." Hiccup said with a calm tone.

"So what do they do?" Angus asked a bit wearier.

"They are miniature, timed explosives." Hicca said.

"Hand-grenades, just prime and throw. They are set to explode after a few seconds." Hiccup explained.

"He used them to kill those three Berserkers during the raid. The ones that were seriously mangled." Astrid said.

The Vikings gasped at the revelation that such a small thing could cause so much damage. The occupants of Hiccup's table backed away a bit becoming increasingly nervous of Hiccup throwing the little thing casually up and down.

"That little thing did that? I thought they were hit by that Nightfury." Gobber said.

"They have the same effect. Inside there is a suspension of Zippleback gas and Monstrous Nightmare saliva. An explosive mix also used in the artillery shells. But I'm not going to tell you how to make it." Hiccup explained causing the twins to whine in the background while several Vikings cringed at the prospect of the twins having this type of weapon.

"Wait a second… I haven't seen an explosion today! Yet you say you used one of them today and they explode." Angus remarked.

"That's true mister Hofferson. But that is due to the fact we used the other type of grenade at our disposal. We call it the stun grenade." Hiccup explained. "It's the other one here on the table. The one I'm holding explodes, the other freezes its targets."

Angus looked intrigued. "And how does it do that?" he asked.

"Inside it contains Flightmare mist. It has the innate ability to freeze its targets." Hiccup said.

Astrid gasped at the dragon mentioned. "What did you say?" She asked astounded.

"Flightmare mist has the ability to freeze its target in place for about ten minutes. …is this important somehow?" Hiccup asked.

Astrid just looked at him with tears in her eyes while Angus spoke. "About ten years ago my brother Finn was killed by a Flightmare. Astrid adored her uncle and was crushed by his death. He was known as Fearless Finn Hofferson and as the name suggest was believed to be fearless. That until he went against a Flightmare and was allegedly frozen in fear by the beast. He was killed during the encounter." Angus explained.

"Oh… my condolences. But the story of freezing in fear is ridiculous. Your brother was with certainty hit by the paralysing mist, not frozen by fear." Hiccup said.

"So…my uncle was really…?" Astrid asked hesitantly.

Hiccup turned to Astrid and spoke comfortingly. "Don't worry Astrid. For all I know of the Hofferson clan, your uncle was truly fearless." He confirmed.

With tears in eyes Astrid flung herself around Hiccup's shoulders. Screw her reputation.

"T…Thank you…" She whispered while the two were hugging drawing some stares from the Vikings and a gleeful smirk from Hicca. Some of the troopers were thinking of whistling but respectfully held off.

When Stoick cleared his throat the pair quickly disengaged and looked at the chief both lightly blushing. Hiccup then quickly began to put away his various weapons and sword which he had retrieved from Gobber.

"I won't comment on what just happened, let's just forget that." Stoick said under the pressure of Valka's glare. "But back to the point. You said something about a war, what was that about?" He asked.

Hiccup's expression darkened and he stood up from the table. Not saying a word he started walking to the very back of the platform his table was on. Stoick and the rest looked at him worried while Hicca just looked down sadly.

"Did I say something wrong?" Stoick asked quietly.

Hiccup didn't answer and just kept walking until the end of the platform where he stood still and stared at the wall.

"No dad, it's just a sensitive subject for Draconians." Hicca quietly answered.

"Is he alright?" Astrid asked.

Hicca had no time to answer since the silence of the Hall was broken by humming. A low tone was held in Hiccup's throat. Hicca nor the Vikings knew what he was doing but the third legion troops did. They immediately stopped what they were doing and joined the humming. After a few seconds of humming Hiccup and the deeper voices of the legion broke into song while the rest kept humming.

(Cue Misty mountains cold-The Hobbit)

Far over the Misty Mountains cold

Through plains so vast and forests old

We must away, at break of day

To fight the Norn… and free our home

The pines were roaring on the heights

The wind were moaning in the night

They came by sea…, murdering the free

The city like torches blazed with light

Afterwards they stopped singing and hummed the melody for a few moments more until they eventually stopped.

Hiccup kept staring at the wall while the rest of the Hall was dead silent. None dared to break the silence after a song that obviously held a lot of emotion for Draconians.

After about a minute Hiccup broke the silence. "That song was made as a memory of the first invasion wave. Ninety years ago Draconia was invaded by the Norn horde, thus beginning the Draconian-Norn war. They attacked at night and quickly overrun Troyares, a city on the South-Western coast. At that time we were ill prepared for a conflict at that scale and for the following years we made heavy losses and the Norn conquered a lot of territory. Ever since then we have been fighting to drive them out of the continent, meanwhile becoming the industrial and military powerhouse the empire is today." Hiccup said monotonously.

Astrid had stood up and quietly made her way over to Hiccup. She laid a hand of his shoulder to comfort him. "I can't imagine what it must be like… for all of you." She said.

Hiccup's left hand reached to grab her hand on his right shoulder and squeezed it lightly. "I appreciate the sentiment Astrid. I really do." He said while the two made their way back to the table.

"Damn lad, that's one hell of a story." Angus said. "I hope your winning."

Before Hiccup could answer Stoick butted in with a rather insensitive comment. "But that doesn't matter anymore son. You're home now and don't have to worry about fighting. You can learn all about being a Viking instead!" Stoick said happily not foreseeing the consequences of his actions.

Astrid, Hicca and Valka gasped, the latter smacking Stoick on the head and scolding him for his insensitivity. The Draconian troop's eyes widened and Hiccup's expression suddenly went really dark. If eyes could kill Stoick would be very dead now.

"Let me get this very clear dad…! You might be my biological father and Berk might be my biological home, but I have only known that for less than a month! Meanwhile I have lived and served in Draconia for the past eighteen years! You see the difference? Draconia is my home for all I know and I swore an oath to protect it! I'm going back…because I have a war to finish!" Hiccup said angrily.

Stoick looked hurt. "But son, what about us? What about your sister? Would you leave her alone again?" He asked.

Hiccup smirked and looked at Hicca, giving her the signal that now was the time.

"Oh don't worry about me, dad. I'll be alongside him for the entire time." Hicca said casually.

The Vikings made wide eyes not really understanding what she meant. "What do you mean lass?" Gobber asked.

Hicca laughed. "There is a reason why I'm wearing this armour Gobber. Or haven't you noticed the symbols on it?" She asked.

"In other words, she's coming back with us." Hiccup said.

The siblings then looked at each other and began counting the seconds of how long it would take to get a reaction. They got up to three when Stoick snapped out of his daze.

"WHAT!?" He bellowed.

"Hmm, you were right. Exactly the reaction you described." Hiccup said to Hicca.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!? What is going on!?" Stoick asked at a loud volume.

Hicca crossed her arms and spoke out to her dad. "It means that I have enlisted in the Draconian military while I was away." She said with a straight face.

"Sweetie…" Valka began but was interrupted by Stoick.

"OH NO YOU HAVEN'T! YOU'RE STAYING RIGHT HERE WHERE IT'S SAFE! AND YOU TOO MISTER!" Stoick ordered while pointing at the two sibling who just sat there with unimpressed expressions.

"You're not stopping me, dad. You know, out there in Draconia I got a chance. There they didn't ask me who I was or judged me for my appearance. To them I was just the same, I was an equal. Out there I got the chance I have been begging for here for years. I'm doing this, so I can finally do something I believe in amongst the people who accept me for who I am…. Besides, survivability in the imperial army is very good. I'll live." Hicca said.

Many of the Vikings in the Hall looked down in shame seeing that the girl spoke the truth. They never accepted her. Hell, they bullied her at every moment of the day for being smaller. In truth she had the right to go. But Stoick was stubborn.

"You're not going young lady! Never, even if I need to lock you up!" Stoick said.

"Like that would stop me. Even if you do dad, Elysia will break me out if necessary." Hicca said.

"Elysia? Who's that?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup smirked. "Time for a little fashion lesson." He said while standing up. "You might all have wondered what this is." He said while pointing to his Kama.

Stoick, still fuming answered. "I don't care what you're wearing. You're both staying." He ordered.

Hiccup ignored Stoick and continued. "This is what we call a Kama. It is a traditional piece of Draconian armour that found its way into the imperial ranks. It is only worn by dragon riders of the imperial military. No-one else may wear it." He said.

Astrid looked at Hiccup and then at Hicca seeing that she was wearing one as well. Then it just clicked. "Hicca is a dragon rider?" She asked surprised.

"Ding! Correct, ten points for Astrid!" Hiccup joked getting a few laughs from his troops.

Stoick was stunned silent, this could not be happening.

Valka then spoke up understanding the message. "So this Elysia isn't a person?" She asked.

"Yup, she's an 1800 pound strike class dragon that is well known by Viking culture." Hiccup said.

"I bonded with her during my time in the empire." Hicca continued.

"Take a wild guess what species she is." Hiccup said.

"Don't tell me it's another Nightfury." Astrid said.

"That would be awesome but no." Hiccup laughed.

Gothi then scribbled something in the dirt and motioned for Gobber to translate.

"What is a Plow-Wraith?" Gobber asked.

Gothi smacked him on the head with her staff.

"Aw! Sorry, I mean Snow Wraith." Gobber said.

"Nope, completely opposite colour." Hicca said.

"A Skrill?" Fishlegs asked himself. Although quietly Hiccup heard him.

"Yes! Who said that?" He shouted into the Hall.

Fishlegs snapped shut and looked at both Haddock sibling with a newfound fear. There was no way that they both possessed the most dangerous dragons known to Vikings.

Astrid looked incredulously. "Seriously? A Skrill?!" She asked.

"Yup, and she's a damn pretty one." Hicca said.

Just now Stick snapped out of his stupor and roared again. "NO! NO? THIS IS NOT HAPPENING! I WON'T ALLOW YOU TWO TO LEAVE! IT'S TOO…"

He was then interrupted by Valka who shut him up. "Stoick dear, I fear we won't be able to stop them. They're both as hard-headed and stubborn as you are." She said.

"But Valka, It's a war. What if they die? I can't lose them again." He said particularly sad.

"You don't have to worry. Survivability is very high these times. We'll live." Hiccup explained.

"Maybe you can but what about Hicca? She can't fight." Stoick said.

"Wow, loving the confidence dad…" Hicca quipped.

"You might be surprised dad what a little Draconian training can do. After a few months of boot camp she'll be on par with me and the rest of the troops." Hiccup said.

"But…" Stoick began.

"Honey…, we should let them go. No matter how much I want them to stay. Hiccup has his duties he cannot abandon, and Hicca needs this. She deserves to follow her own path, not the path we want her to follow." Valka said.

Stoick looked at his wife and signed. "I suppose you're right Valka. Just promise me you both will come back alive and in one piece." Stoick finally said.

"Affirmative." Both siblings said at the same time.

From there on the feast continued in a more happy tone. People asked questions, Hiccup told stories, a few Vikings were arm-wrestling with his soldiers and music was being played.

"You know Hiccup, you've told us you use dragons as weapons of war." Angus started.

"No, they are our companions. Not just weapons, you have to respect them and they defend their home just like us." Hiccup explained.

"Right. But hasn't that sometimes backfired? Like someone going rogue and turning dragons against you?" Angus asked.

"It hasn't happened that one of our own threatened our home with dragons. Though there has been a case of an outsider enslaving dragons for his own gain." Hiccup recalled.

"That sounds like Drago to me." Stoick said.

Hiccup chuckled. "Funny that you'd say that dad. I'm talking about the very same man." He said.

"Drago Blutvist? You know that madman?!" Stoick asked horrified. He barely survived the encounter with Drago, he really didn't want his son near that man.

"I know of him, I never actually met him. And I never will." Hiccup said.

Now Stoick was confused. "What do you mean son? What happened?" He asked curiously.

Gobber and Valka put their attention on Hiccup since they knew the story of Stoick's encounter with Drago eighteen years ago.

"It's a well-known story in the imperial ranks. Drago Blutvist was indeed a madman bent on power. He had somehow managed to get an alpha-class dragon, a Bewilderbeast under his control and used it to enforce his rule on the archipelago. But to him this wasn't enough, and he turned his gaze towards Draconia." Hiccup said.

"And what happened?" Stoick asked.

"He was planning to attack us with his army and seize the land for his own. And you understand how bad a war on two fronts would be for us. This was four years ago." Hiccup said. The rest nodded for him to continue. "Unfortunately for Drago we discovered his plan prematurely. And we acted accordingly. The second, sixth and seventh legions tracked him down and cornered him and his army in his icy stronghold. Any effort to reason with him was fruitless, Drago wouldn't back down."

"And what did ye do then laddie?" Gobber asked.

"As I said I wasn't present there. I hadn't even enlisted in that time. Anyway, after many attempts to reason with Drago imperial command decided enough was enough. So the combined imperial army started bombing the stronghold with all the firepower we had. Drago and his army were forced to stay hidden inside and after several hours of bombing the stronghold collapsed on top of them. Drago and most of his army was confirmed killed." Hiccup said.

Stoick was shocked and relieved at the same time. Shocked that they would just bomb a stronghold full of people killing most of them and relieved that they no longer had to live with the fear of Drago. But there was one thing that bugged him. "Uh son? What happened to the dragon army?" He asked.

"Most of the dragons survived including the alpha. Now free of Drago's oppression the dragons got treatment wherever necessary, then they all went their own way. Some settled on Draconia while others like the Bewilderbeast set off into the world away from the Archipelago. Last time we heard that dragon was leading his own nest at the South Pole on the other side of the world. Since then we haven't had any more problems with people using dragons for their own gain." Hiccup said.

"I guess that explains why everyone knows the story." Angus said.

Hiccup nodded. It was now getting later in the evening but the party was still in full swing. Some of his troops had left their table and were mingling around with the Vikings. Hiccup kept talking quietly with Stoick and the rest of the table till the wee hours of the night. They went on until Hiccup noticed Hicca yawning. It had been a long day so he decided that they should turn in for the night.

He nodded his head to one of his officers and she nodded back understanding his signal. Then he turned to his sister. "About time to head back to camp sis." He said.

Hicca yawned again. "Yeah, it's been a long day. Let's go." She said.

They both stood up and grabbed their respective helmets drawing the attention of the rest of the Vikings.

"Hiccup? What's going on?" Stoick asked.

"It's getting late dad. We're turning in." Hiccup said while tucking his helmet under his arm. He glanced at the table his troops were on and saw they were all but ready to go. "Sergeant!" He called.

"Yes sir!" She responded.

"Begin moving back to the camp! We've still got work to do tomorrow!" Hiccup ordered on a light tone.

The sergeant smiled. "Of course Commander! Move out!" She ordered.

The Draconians then moved casually out of the Great-Hall avoiding any drunk or passed out Vikings on the floor and went out the door. Hiccup and Hicca followed close behind with Stoick, Valka and Astrid following them out.

When the siblings were out the door Hiccup stopped at the edge of the stairs and watched as his troops went down and towards their camp while allowing Stoick to catch up.

"I once again want to thank you for your hospitality dad, and for believing us today. I really didn't want to turn this into a bloodbath." Hiccup said.

Stoick cringed a little. "It's all right son, I'm just so happy you're back. Even if it is for a short time. Remember we have to hold a trail for you know who as soon as possible."

"Indeed, I say we do it tomorrow morning after breakfast." Hiccup suggested.

"Agreed. Now come with us son. We'll show you your room to stay." Stoick said.

"With all due respect dad I'll decline. My place is with my troops." Hiccup said.

"And so is mine." Hicca continued.

"But… Hicca you can sleep at home here." Stoick said.

"I'll be gone for a long time soon dad. And those people will be the ones I'll have to trust with my life." Hicca said while pointing at the encampment. "I'll have to start getting used to sleeping amongst them."

Stoick wanted to counter but decided not to and hung his head lightly. "I understand…goodnight Hicca…"

Hicca smiled a little and gave her dad a hug. "Goodnight dad" She said and she went of the stairs.

"Don't worry about her dad. She'll be fine." Hiccup said while watching Hicca trot off.

"I'm just worried son." Stoick said. "Like every father."

"I understand." Hiccup said. "Oh, before I forget. We will be forced to unload all of our dragons tomorrow morning as part of their care. You do not need to worry they are completely harmless with us. We would just appreciate it is no-one tried to shoot us down."

"Alright, I'll handle it." Stoick said.

"Appreciated." Hiccup said.

"Goodnight son." Valka said and both parents went back into the Great-Hall once Hiccup gave them the exact same answer. Hiccup wanted to go as well but stopped when Astrid came up to him.

"I'm not going to lie. I'm still a little mad about you lying, but I'm starting to understand why you did it." Astrid said.

"I'm just glad I had the chance to explain." Hiccup said.

Astrid took a step closer. "How long will you be staying?" She asked.

"Either we leave tomorrow evening or the morning after. It's still a long trip back." Hiccup said

"Oh, right. Will I see you tomorrow?" Astrid asked.

"I'm sure you will." Hiccup said while pulling on his helmet. "Goodnight Astrid." He said.

He then made his way off the stairs while Astrid waved after him. Though he didn't see that.

"Goodnight…" She whispered in the cold night.

 **Phew, I know I know. It has been way too long but I have an explanation! I really have. You see college started again and boy my schedule is packed. I barely have any time to write anymore so chapter will come at a very slow pace now. I estimate about one chapter every three to four weeks. But don't kill me if it takes longer.**

 **Anyway this chapter was as you can tell hard to write due to all the conversations in it but it gave us some background story which is nice every now and then. Next chapter we'll progress with what you all can guess, the trail and execution of the sentence. I've decided the punishment so none of you can change it anymore. Sorry…**

 **Reviews:**

 **mc arno: I haven't really decided on that yet. Though I would say Hiccup seeing that he has more experience in leading.**

 **assasins death: I hope this chapter gave you the answers to some of your questions. As for Spitelout… we'll see, (evil laughter…)**

 **orca3553: here you have your Drago explanation. As for your other question, I suppose yes.**

 **Karate Koala: I'm thinking about it.**

 **Dracologistmaster: They'll meet her soon. Whit some dramatic entrance of course.**

 **Thearizona: thanks man, the feedback gives me a lot of motivation. See you around.**

 **Calvin: hold your horses man. I'm just having a lack of time. I'll finish it no matter what.**

 **If I didn't answer on your review feel free to send a message or something or ask a question in your review so I have something to answer to. (I'm way too tired to do this now…)**

 **Anyway hope you enjoyed, again sorry for the wait and until next time.**

 **Dismissed**


	16. Chapter 16: Trails and executions

**Time for another chapter… I have no inspiration to write something here… screw it.**

 **Chapter 16: Trials and executions**

 **(The next morning)**

 **Berk, morning, 266 ADF**

Unlike the previous weeks Astrid did have a really good night's rest. All the problems of the last month had just vanished the instant Hiccup and his army landed on Berk the day before. When she woke up the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon and shining through the blinds of her room's window. One curious thing though, there were no birds singing.

Astrid got all silent and listened for any sounds coming from outside. She heard some faint screaming in the distance and the soft rhythm of metal boots hitting the ground. Looks like the Draconians were already busy. Then something suddenly blocked out the light of the sun through the cracks in her blinds for a moment. Something large.

Astrid got out of bed slowly and crept through her room to the window silently. She looked through one of the cracks but saw nothing.

Then all of a sudden the silhouette of a dragon flew by and an enormously loud roar was heard. Astrid jumped back in surprise and her instincts just took over. Eighteen years of being a Viking aren't easily overridden.

She quickly dressed herself, grabbed her axe and barrelled outside. Only when she came outside she wasn't met with a dragon raid but instead with one of the most mesmerising sights she'd ever seen.

Up in the sky were dozens of dragons flying around in V-shapes calmly gliding over the village and around the small mountain that was occupied by Gothi's hut. Nadders, Nightmares even a Timberjack were gliding up and down over the village. Each and every one of them carrying saddles and riders. Every once in a while a roar could be heard.

Meanwhile more Vikings had rushed out of their homes and were all but frozen by the sight, every single one of them was looking up to the sky where the dragons were casting large shadows on the ground. The riders were doing flight training and were showing of some complex moves, to great awe from the Vikings.

When Astrid looked away from the sky and towards the Draconian camp she was met by another peculiar sight. On the slope in front of the camp was a large group of troops jumping up and down while standing in a rectangular form. Meanwhile there was one soldier in front of them doing the same moves and shouting things to them. Probably another officer.

Her attention was then grabbed by a faint whistling sound getting louder and louder. Soon the sound had evolved into the ballistic moaning they all knew by heart. …the Nightfury. She looked up at the sound and saw him.

A jet-black blur came streaking down at high speeds, broke through the formations of the other Draconians and pulled up just above the ground. Due to going so fast he flew around Gothi's mountain and back towards the village to slow down. He hovered over the village for a moment and then landed on one of the statues at the base of the stairs. Where the Nightfury or Tootles tucked in his wings and Hiccup sat up straight and observed his legion.

Meanwhile Astrid was joined by Fishlegs and the twins. All four of them were looking at the spectacle with wide eyes.

"Wow… talk about being majestic." Ruffnut said.

"Well…flying on a dragon does do that for you." Fishlegs said.

"I'm still wondering how he trained him though." Astrid said.

"I believe we should ask him." Fishlegs said.

"Ooh, maybe he can train dragons for us!" Tuffnut said.

"Sweet destruction, even thinking about all the things we could do with our own dragon makes me excited." Ruffnut continued.

Fishlegs cringed at the thought and Astrid spoke. "Oh no! We're not giving you two a dragon! I can think of a thousand reasons that would go wrong."

"Aw… come on Astrid. Hicca got her own dragon, why can't we have one?" Tuffnut said.

"Yeah, she's just as destructive as us." Ruffnut said.

"But unlike you two she is responsible. I think." Astrid said.

"Speaking of Hicca, where is she?" Fishlegs asked.

The group looked around looking for the young Haddock girl but couldn't find her anywhere.

"Where is she?" Astrid asked.

Then another roar was heard. But this one was a little different from the other ones, it was one the teens didn't recognise. But some of the adults did.

"Is that…?" Valka asked.

"Aye, Skrill." Gobber said.

They looked for the source of the sound and found a black-purple Skrill flying back to the village alongside a couple Nadders and Changewing. The Skrill broke off from formation and flew towards Hiccup and Toothless on top of the statue. Right now the Vikings could more clearly see the white armour Hicca wore on the back of the lightning based Dragon. Hiccup extended his hand sideways and the Skrill banked vertically and Hicca slapped her brother's hand and flew a little bit further before landing on the slope in front of the Hall. Hiccup and Toothless followed her down not long after.

To this Stoick, Valka and the teens made their way towards both Haddock who seemed to be conversing about something as Hiccup was explaining something while gesturing with his hands.

"So remember, while flying into a battle keep your profile as small as possible and use Elysia's speed to your advantage." Hiccup commented.

"Understood, and always keep formation tight. There's safety in numbers." Hicca quoted.

"You have that part down very well. I suggest you debrief with sergeant Tora after breakfast. Get her opinion on your performance." Hiccup advised.

"I will." Hicca said. Then she turned her head towards the approaching Vikings. "Looks like we have company."

"It seems our morning exercises woke up some people." Hiccup chuckled while dismounting Toothless.

The group of Vikings stopped about six metres off the two sibling. Subconsciously Stoick stood in front of his wife to protect her although both his children were or are still on the dragon's backs. Hiccup noticed the slightly tense situation and stepped forward motioning Toothless to stay in place.

"Morning mom, dad. I hope we weren't too loud?" Hiccup said.

"Well…uh…" Stoick began.

"It's just a little new to us." Valka said. She looked at both strike-class dragons in wonder. "Are those…?"

"Ah yes! Mom, meet Toothless and Elysia." Hiccup said while gesturing at Toothless and Elysia respectively.

Toothless nodded his head while Elysia, still new to all this growled at the newcomers making them back off a bit.

"Elysia! Please don't scare them, they're friends!" Hicca said while still on top of her.

Elysia looked up at Hicca and huffed, like she was talking to her. To the surprise of the Vikings Hicca answered.

"Yes, I know you want to protect me but its fine. They're my parents." Hicca said.

To this not Elysia seemed to calm down a bit but she was still eying the group wearily.

Hiccup motioned to his mother to come close. "Come on… they won't hurt you. I promise." He said while extending a hand as an invitation.

Valka slowly came out behind Stoick and inched towards Hiccup, drawing some protests from Stoick.

Hiccup took his mother's hand and motioned for Hicca to dismount and come closer. "Alright,…just stay calm mom. She won't hurt you." Hiccup said.

Hicca and Elysia came closer as well. Calmly so they wouldn't freak out Valka or any of the Vikings.

Hiccup and Valka were right in front of Hicca and Elysia now. "Alright mom, now raise your arm and open your palm." Hiccup said.

Valka hesitated and looked her son in the eyes through his helmet's visor. She was afraid.

"Trust us mom, you don't have to fear her." Hiccup encouraged.

Valka decided to follow Hiccup's instruction and extended her arm. Subconsciously she turned her head away as if not wanting to see her arm being ripped off. Fortunately it never came to that.

Elysia was eying Valka's hand hesitantly and looked at Hicca for support. Hicca nodded to her saying it was ok to trust her. Elysia turned back to Valka, released a breath through her nose and pushed her nose in Valka's palm.

Valka gasped at the sudden contact of warm scales. She opened her eyes and saw she was touching the Skrill on the nose. The dragon had closed the gap. Elysia opened her eyes and Valka could see her eyes been fully dilated. Instantly she thought back at that moment eighteen years ago with the Stormcutter. But now she definitely knew the truth.

"Everything we know about them…is wrong." Valka whispered.

Valka began petting Elysia to great joy of the dragon and the two siblings were watching with a sense of accomplishment.

The rest of the group was awed by the sight. They began thinking if maybe things could be very different.

Hiccup stepped towards the rest of the group after a while and turned to his father. "You see, a little change of perspective can do wonders." He said.

"I guess so…" Stoick said still amazed by what happened.

"Uh Hiccup? What are you all doing so early?" Astrid asked.

"We're doing our standard morning warmup as well as flying all our dragons as part of their daily care. I hope we didn't cause any panic." Hiccup said.

"No…no not at all." Astrid said a little quickly.

"Hmm, okay." Hiccup said not buying it but playing along. "Dad? When do you plan to have the Trial?" He asked.

"I was thinking to hold it after breakfast. I assume you will be there?" Stoick said.

"I'll have to. I want to support Hicca there and as a representative of Draconia." Hiccup said.

"Representative?" Tuffnut asked.

Hiccup signed. "Basically due to Spitelout's coup attempt not only Berk was threatened but the security of the empire was as well. If he succeeded the Archipelago would surely threaten security on the northern border, causing a war on two fronts and eventually a likely Draconian defeat. I would say that is an offence worth prosecuting." Hiccup explained.

"Oh…" Tuffnut said.

"Then it is decided. Will you be joining us for breakfast?" Stoick asked.

"I'm afraid not. We'll be out here with the rest of our troops." Hiccup said. Then he turned to the teens. "You four are welcome to join us however."

Astrid was stunned. "R…really? You would let us have breakfast amongst you?" She asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "As I said. A little change of perspective could do wonders."

"I'm in!" Tuffnut yelled.

"So am I!" Ruffnut yelled as well.

"Uh yeah I'll come. And guys stop yelling" Fishlegs said.

"What about you Astrid?" Hiccup asked.

"Uh…sure we'll be there." Astrid said hesitantly while looking at Toothless.

"Great, we'll see you guys very soon. Just ask for me when you arrive." Hiccup said while walking back to Toothless. "Oh by the way, I advise not bringing any weapons. So you don't make any dragons nervous." He called back.

Hicca chuckled. "Yeah, we wouldn't want them to go on a mauling." She joked making the Vikings pale.

"She's joking guys…" Hiccup said. "Come on sis. Let's do a quick lap around the island."

"I'm in!" Hicca called. She then turned back to Elysia who was being spoiled by Valka. "Can I have my dragon back mom?"

Valka released Elysia from her hold and turned to her daughter who was grinning underneath her helmet. "Amazing feeling isn't it?" Hicca asked.

Valka nodded happily. "I never knew they could be like this. You both really opened my eyes." She said.

Hicca chuckled and mounted Elysia again. "I knew you'd agree." She said. "Ready to go bro?" she asked while turning to Hiccup who was now on Toothless' back.

"I'll give you a head start." Hiccup joked.

"Your mistake!" Hicca shot back and she and Elysia shot into the sky.

Hiccup chuckled. "We'll see about that pipsqueak."

With one mighty flap of his wings Toothless flew after the pair and out of the Vikings visual range.

The rest of the Vikings just stood there flabbergasted. The exchange between Valka and the Skrill had been a sight to behold but the apparent sibling relation between Hiccup and Hicca even rivalled the twins'.

"You know, they really are onto something." Valka said looking up into the still dragon filled sky.

Stoick and the rest stayed silent.

"You all should try it. They convinced me, they certainly can convince you." Valka said. "Come Stoick, we have preparations to oversee."

"Yes love…" Stoick said while following his wife.

Astrid and the rest of the gang remained behind. Pondering over the most recent events.

"I don't know about you guys but I believe she has a point." Fishlegs said.

"Whether she's right or not. Thing will drastically change from this point on." Astrid.

The rest of the group nodded, agreeing with Astrid's statement.

 **Draconian encampment, morning, 266 AFD**

Astrid and the gang were walking amongst the many tents and emplacements present in the camp. They crossed multiple troopers sitting or standing about everywhere eating breakfast. Many offered a word or a nod in greeting but otherwise didn't bother them. However none could be identified as Hiccup or his sister.

"Uhg, where are they?" Tuffnut asked.

"Tuff, there are over two-hundred people in this camp. It stands to reason we wouldn't find them immediately." Fishlegs said.

"Can't we just ask for them? He did say we had to ask for them when we arrived." Tuffnut said.

"That is actually true." Fishlegs said remembering Hiccup's words.

Astrid then walked to one group of soldiers sitting on the ground. They were normal ones, not dragon riders and talked to them.

"Excuse me… where can we find Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

The troops looked at each other for a moment and one motioned his head in a certain direction. Then one of them answered. "The Commander is over there. Behind the big tent." He said while pointing to the west.

"Thank you. Enjoy your meal." Astrid said getting several nods from the men and women seated.

She went back to her friends and told them they needed to go behind the big tent. They walked around it and indeed found Hiccup and his sister sitting on the ground eating. But the thing was that they weren't alone. Hiccup was seated on the ground leaning against a snoozing Toothless and Hicca was placed against Elysia who was munching on a few fishes. Next to her was a women with short red hair talking to her about something.

Now the group was a bit more hesitant about approaching them. Seeing that they were still a bit reserved about being so close to two of the most dangerous dragons they know. Hiccup had noticed them however and waved for them to come closer.

They inched closer and hoped they really didn't need to sit against one of the dragons who didn't give them a lot of attention however. Toothless just kept on snoozing and Elysia stopped munching for a second to look at them but continued on soon after. Luckily for the group there were some crates nearby which they could use as back support, so they didn't need to come closer to Toothless and Elysia.

"Welcome guys, hope it wasn't too hard to find." Hiccup said casually.

"No… not really…" Astrid said while staring wearily at Toothless.

Hiccup signed. "You're still afraid of him aren't you?" He asked.

Astrid nodded while eying Toothless.

Hiccup hummed and prodded Toothless to wake him up. The black dragon opened his eyes and looked at Hiccup who motioned Astrid to come closer.

Astrid hesitated. "Don't be afraid Astrid." Hiccup encouraged while holding his hand on Toothless nose.

Astrid came closer. "Hold out your hand." Hiccup said.

Astrid nervously did what she was told and held out her hand in front of her. Toothless sniffed her hand for a few second and then began nuzzling and licking her hand. Ridding Astrid from any doubts that dragons were hostile creatures.

"Heh… he's kind of cute." Astrid said.

"He is isn't he?" Hiccup confirmed. Then he patted the spot to the left of him, away from Toothless' head. "Come sit down with us."

Astrid accepted Hiccup's invitation and sat down next to him. The others used the nearby crates as a back support and sat down around the small campfire in the middle of the group.

"Either way, welcome guys. Grab a fish and a piece of bread, its good." Hiccup said.

"Indeed, the fish was caught this morning in the waters around the island. There's a lot more fat in these fish then back home." The woman with the short red hair said.

"Okay…and who are you?" Astrid asked. "I've seen you before."

"Astrid, this is Sergeant Tora. She's one of my most thrusted officers." Hiccup introduced.

"Ow ok, nice to meet you." Astrid said to Tora.

"She has been beside me for a long time. I think we met in boot camp didn't we Tora?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, we were in the same garrison remember Hiccup… we've been doing this together since the beginning." Tora said.

Astrid felt something spike in her chest. A hint of…jealousy, why wouldn't she? After all this woman had been closer to him for a much longer time than she has. Unbeknownst to her her visage showed a little bit of that jealousy. Luckily only one person saw this.

Hiccup squeezed her hand lightly so she would look at him. "Don't worry, she's engaged to someone else." He whispered.

Astrid silently signed in relief. Not that she would ever tell that to anyone.

After a while everyone was eating breakfast while chatting with one another. Hicca and Tora were mostly conversing about flight manoeuvres while Fishlegs tried to follow their conversation and Hiccup and Astrid were in a discussion about weapons.

"You know Hiccup, I've been wondering what it's like to be a soldier out there?" Tuffnut asked.

"Let me tell you Tuff, it isn't the most fun thing out there." Hiccup answered.

"Come on…it must be awesome. Fighting giant armies for honour and glory!" Tuff said.

Hiccup and Tora cringed. "You really have no idea have you? It seems like you have a very glorified view of war." Hiccup said.

"It's not like that? I thought all the stories from Viking battles…" Tuffnut asked.

"No Tuff… it really isn't. You know the saying: History is made by the victors?" Hiccup asked.

"Of course, it means that the strongest decide the course of history." Tuffnut proudly proclaimed.

"No…no it isn't. When a war is fought the ones victorious write their version of history afterwards. The story you then hear is often very biased." Hiccup explained.

"Indeed, war isn't just black and white young man. Just a lot of shades of grey." Tora added.

"So…there are things you don't want to remember?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup signed and hung his head. "There are way too many thinks I wish I could forget. The many horrors and nightmares I have that won't just go away." He said.

"Would you want to talk about it?" Astrid asked.

"There is one memory in particular I think you all should know. Though it haunts me to this day, something I swore I'd never do again." Hiccup said.

Now Astrid was worried. What could be so bad that even Hiccup had nightmares about it? Sergeant Tora knew what he meant however, seeing as she was there.

"The battle with the Red Death…" Tora said.

"The what?!" The four Vikings asked.

"Do you know why the dragons raided your village all those years and why they suddenly just stopped?" Hiccup asked.

"Uh… no actually." Fishlegs said.

"That was because of the Red Death." Tora said. "An alpha class dragon the size of a mountain. It could destroy your village just by sitting on it."

"It was held up inside a volcano to the North-East of here. I believe you would call it the nest, the one Vikings had been looking for all those years." Hiccup explained.

"You've been at the nest?!" Astrid asked.

"Three years ago I was there…" Hiccup said solemnly.

"So was I, and most of the veterans here." Tora continued.

"Wait… such a dragon exists?!" Fishlegs asked frightfully

"I think the right word would be existed." Hiccup said. "But yes it did. It was holed up in the volcanic island and forced the dragon population to raid nearby islands to feed herself."

"So they were forced to do it?" Astrid asked while looking at the dragons present.

"Yes…dragons are normally peaceful creatures and have a main diet in fish. Raiding villages would be very counterproductive for them." Hiccup said.

"So what happened there…?" Fishlegs asked.

"The Red Death or the queen got more greedy as time passed, so the range of the raids extended gradually. Eventually the raids began targeting the few trade routes we had in the north. As we were understanding of the dragons we realized this wasn't normal behaviour, also we couldn't afford to lose valuable trade routes during a war." Hiccup explained.

"So you set out to find the problem?" Astrid guessed.

"Indeed we did Astrid, back then I wasn't a Commander yet, it was still in the beginning of my career. We set out with the Third legion as an expeditionary force to find the reason why dragons would mindlessly raid villages and ships. We feared another Drago situation since back then that was only a year ago. We found the island and quickly learned of the presence of the queen, she had spotted us however seeing that we flew into the nest and provoked her enough to come out." Hiccup said.

The Vikings were on the edge of their seats. "And what happened then?" Fishlegs asked.

"You fought didn't you?" Tuffnut asked.

"Yes Tuffnut we did. With no other choice we engaged the slightly enraged queen, first we tried to subdue her but that turned out not to be an option seeing that the dragon was highly aggressive. The battle stretched for hours and many of us were killed, even one of our airships was blown out of the sky." Hiccup said while gesturing at the titanic transports resting nearby. "In the end we succeeded to get the queen airborne, but the catch was that she was now following us and after a while…me…"

"And what did you do then?" Fishlegs asked.

"Me and Toothless came up with a plan to vanish into the clouds and when we did we started to blow holes in her wings. She retaliated by spraying fire everywhere, forcing us to dive down. She followed us in blind rage and prepared to roast us alive on the trip down." Hiccup said.

The Vikings held their breaths in anticipation. "And…?" Astrid asked.

"Right at the moment the queen was building up gas in her throat to fire me and Toothless turned around and shot a plasma blast in her mouth, igniting the gas and making it all explode in her throat. Afterwards she crashed into the ground because her wings were ripped and she couldn't pull up. The resulting explosion killed her, me and Toothless on the other hand glided down and crashed into the ground a little later. I passed out not long after." Hiccup explained.

"He woke up when we were on our way back. Suffering heavy losses but being victorious." Tora finished.

The rest of the teens were stunned silent. Truly they had only scratched the surface of all the thing Hiccup and the rest did.

Time passes quickly and before they knew it breakfast had passed and Hiccup needed to get moving again.

"Tora, gather a troop escort for the prisoners. I'll go check if they're ready in the great hall." Hiccup said while standing up.

"Yes sir." Tora answered.

"Hiccup? Where are you going?" Astrid asked.

"I'm going to check if my father is ready to hold a Trial." Hiccup answered before he strode off.

"You guys should probably go as well." Tora advised.

"Yeah, right." they answered.

 **Berk prisons, late morning, 266 ADF**

Spitelout sat on the ground in one of the dark cells of Berk, he wondered how it could all go wrong. His plan was perfect, make Hicca disappear and subtly undermine Stoick from there to grab power. It almost worked as well. Until suddenly Hicca turned up again with no less than an army backing her up and the mysterious stranger that had arrived on Berk just over a week before Hicca's abduction. And by some stroke of luck or divine intervention he turned out to be her long lost older brother and the first heir to Stoick.

He looked around to his fellow cellmates. The people who had conspired with him to overthrow Stoick, they were in bad shape. Each one of them sported multiple cuts and bruises all over their bodies, they had severely underestimated the capabilities of the army backing Hicca. Spitelout at first thought they wouldn't dare to mix in the situation but he had been proven dead wrong when Hicca indirectly ordered them to arrest him and his fellow conspirators. His second mistake was underestimating their capacity for war. He thought his group of mighty, wide-shouldered Vikings could take them but he started to grow doubt when his son mindlessly charged in and was subsequently smashed into the ground by the leader in two seconds. And then there was the dragon reinforcements issue.

Over the course of the morning he had been woken by the multitude of dragon-calls that sounded through the air. At first he thought it to be a dragon-raid but when he rushed to the small barred window he saw all of them flying over the village in formation, only then did he understand the magnitude of his opponent. His fellow cellmates learned soon after that these "Draconians" were in fact a large and organised group of dragon-riders and highly trained soldiers. Many signed in recognition that they could never win this and sat down fearing what they might do to them now that they had control over the village.

It was Snotlout who nasally broke the silence. "Dad?... what are they going to do with us?" He asked.

Spitelout signed. "I don't know son. Now that Hicca betrayed our village and handed us all over to those monsters there's no telling what they'll do to us. But I know it won't be pleasant." He said.

"But can't we try to rally the village behind us? They can't just accept this blasphemy to continue?!" Snotlout argued.

"I fear that might be our only chance son." Spitelout said.

At that moment they heard the outside door being opened and several voices through the hall. Spitelout recognised the voices from several Vikings including Angus but there were some foreign, muffled voices as well. When they all stepped into the room Spitelout saw his suspicions confirmed as Angus Hofferson and a couple Vikings entered accompanied by what looked like a squad of those Draconian soldiers.

Angus looked at Spitelout with eyes burning with hate, a look which Spitelout and some of the prisoners gladly returned. At least the ones who weren't intimidated enough by the sight of the Draconians. One of them stepped forwards to Angus and asked him a question.

"Sir? What are Berkian regulations for transporting prisoners?" the soldier asked.

"Uh, we chain them up and walk them to the Great-Hall. Would that be adequate?" Angus asked while pulling out several handcuffs and chains.

The soldier who asked the question turned his head to the prisoners and nodded. "That will do fine sir Hofferson. I assume you have the keys?"

Angus gestured to the keys on his belt. "Have them right here. Shall we begin?" He asked with a smile.

"Gladly." The soldier answered. "Alright men, drag them out and chain them up!" He ordered.

Angus opened the door and the Draconians strode inside grabbing prisoner after prisoner and chained them up while Angus and the other Vikings held them still and organised them in a line. Snotlout and some others tried to resist but were only answered by a punch and a bark to get moving. Not long after only Spitelout remained unchained, though he was surrounded by the Draconian squad.

"Now it's you turn Spitelout. We reserved a nice spot here at the front of the line for you." Angus said.

"You traitor…" Spitelout seethed.

Angus laughed. "Me? A traitor? Do you even heart yourself Spitelout?! Unlike you I would never turn my back on Stoick nor the Village!" He shouted.

"Then why are you cooperating with these monsters?! They shouldn't be allowed to live with their blasphemous ways!" Spitelout growled.

The Draconian troops just picked him up effortlessly paying no mind to the string of insults and curses he was throwing around. When he was chained up tight Angus spoke again.

"A little change of perspective is sometimes all it takes to see the truth Spitelout. And honestly, I like the truth better." Angus said.

Spitelout had no time to reply as they were lead outside and met a lot more troops, outside the prison stood an entire battalion ready to escort them complete with Raptors and unlike the previous day, other dragons as well. Safe to say the entire group of prisoners was intimidated enough to shut up and walk silently.

They were marched through the village towards the Great-Hall. Along the way they could see more troops watching them from the side or they could just see them in the distance doing exercises, marching around or doing patrols. They could see the titanic transport machines all resting in their camp and a Draconian flag here and there. Spitelout began fearing the worst, thinking that the village had been conquered.

At the doors of the Great-Hall were four guards, two Vikings and again two Draconians. They opened the door of them and the prisoners were led inside where the rest of Berk was waiting. Amongst the crowd Snotlout could see the people he had known his entire life scowling down on him. He saw Astrid and Fishlegs standing on the side giving him the cold shoulder and surprisingly the Twins, who were standing with Fishlegs as well. He had heard they weren't arrested yesterday but he wasn't sure, but now the rumour was confirmed and the Twins didn't look to happy with him.

Spitelout however didn't look at the crowd but looked straight to the centre of the Hall were as expected a judges table was set up in the form of half a circle. Perfect to interrogate prisoners,…in this case them. He could see Stoick, Valka, Gobber and Gothi already present in their seats. Gobber was sitting on the left side of the table flanked by Valka then Stoick and then Goth. There were two seats still open next to the latter. Spitelout scowled, normally he should be at that table as well.

Near the table he caught the glimpse of white armour and long auburn hair,…Hicca. She was talking to some other girl with bright red hair wearing the same armour as every Draconian did. When he looked up above the table he saw the flags bearing the various crests of the jury. In the centre was the Berk and Hairy µHooligan crest Flanked by the Haddock symbol as well as Gobber's and Gothi's. What surprised him was that alongside all that was another bright red and black flag depicting the Stormcutter with spread wings. The Draconian Imperial flag.

Spitelout and the prisoners were led to the middle, right in front of the judges' table and chained down to the ground by metal rings embedded into the stone. Stoick turned around for a second and called something Spitelout couldn't understand. Not long after Hicca came up the podium and sat in the far right chair, leaving the one between her and Gothi open.

Spitelout wondered who they were still missing, though his answer came into the form of Ryder or rather Hiccup who strode onto the platform helmet in hand. He plopped it down on the table and sat down. Meanwhile the murmuring in the Great-Hall had ceased.

Stoick then stood and spoke. "Attention please, today we hold the Trial against Spitelout Jorgenson and his fellow conspirators for their failed coup attempt on Berk. The…" he said before being interrupted.

"That's a load of crap! I did what was best for the village unlike you who just surrendered it to these monsters! He shouldn't even be sitting there!" Spitelout roared while pointing at Hiccup.

"SILENCE! I never surrendered the village Spitelout, they are our allies and Hiccup has all the right to be on this council!" Stoick shouted back

"And why is that?!" Spitelout shouted back hoping to drive Stoick in a corner.

To his surprise Stoick only smiled and turned to Hiccup. "He's all yours Hiccup." Stoick said.

Hiccup nodded and stood up to speak. "Spitelout Jorgenson, due to your actions not only was Berk gravely endangered but the Draconian Empire felt your actions as well as a successful coup would have let to a threat in Imperial security at the Northern border. Imperial command has ordered for your Trial to be overseen by a senior officer of the Draconian military with experience in government affairs. Due to my presence here I was appointed the Imperial representative during this Trial and will oversee your punishment is adequate for imperial standards." He droned with little emotion in his voice, scaring the crap out of the prisoners and some of the villagers who hadn't really seen the officer side of Hiccup.

"Thank you Hiccup." Stoick said as Hiccup sat back down.

"Now let's begin with the pressed charges." Stoick continued. "Charges are: organised kidnapping, attempted murder of the heir, an attempted coup on the Hairy Hooligans tribe, treachery, selling information to hostile tribes, endangering Draconian border security, attempted murder of imperial military personnel, open hostility to the crown and empire." He summed up. "How do you plead?" Stoick asked.

"I don't have to explain myself! Not to you nor to your blasphemous son! I did what was best for the village, to make it stronger!" Spitelout shouted.

"Noted…" Hiccup said icily

Spitelout was taken aback. He though Stoick and the rest would argue back to him and he would find a way to drive them into a corner. But Hiccup just shrugged off his insults like they meant nothing, and honestly the look in the boy's eyes scared him a little. Not that he would ever show it.

"Alright, statement aside let's begin to hear out everyone who wishes to speak." Stoick said.

For hours and hours the judges listened to everyone who wished to speak their mind over the matter. Angus recalled his meeting with Spitelout the morning after Hiccup was taken and told the story of his and his group's efforts to keep Stoick's rule in place. Multiple Vikings were heard, even the prisoners. Some of them defiantly claimed that what they did was the best for the village while others expressed their doubts and indirectly were almost begging for their lives to be spared. The story that got the most attention though was the one from Hicca where she recalled her experiences from the night when she was kidnapped and how she woke up on the Norn ship to the moment Hiccup rescued her. Hiccup meanwhile remained silent throughout it all, never speaking once and only occasionally nodding when he listened.

After everyone was heard the six judges retreated themselves to make a decision, though everyone knew this Trial was just to decide on a punishment since everyone knew they were guilty. It took about half an hour before they emerged again and took their places. When everyone was quiet again Hiccup stood up and took word.

"Attention everyone, the jury had decided. In face of overwhelming evidence the prisoners are declared guilty." He said which surprised no-one. Spitelout wanted to interrupt him but Hiccup just blatantly ignored him. "Spitelout Jorgenson and associates, by the authority invested in me by the crown and empire and Chief Stoick Haddock of Berk. I sentence you all to be branded as traitors to both Berk and the Draconian Empire, you will be stripped of your status and possessions and be banished from the island. Never to set foot here or in any Draconian controlled territories." Hiccup declared.

Some of the prisoners signed in relief, in truth many of them thought they would be executed. Some of them held their breath though as they feared something else might be coming.

"However, due to the nature of his actions one person's sentence will be slightly altered." Hiccup continued. The prisoners gasped and several eyes found Spitelout who was sweating. "Spitelout Jorgenson!" He said centring himself on the offended. "Because of being the leader of this betrayal your sentence has been altered. For the highest form of treason you will be executed by the traditional Viking method of the Blood Eagle as an example. The sentence will be executed tonight."

Immediately the Hall exploded in shouting, mostly curses and screaming from Spitelout and his family. Hiccup didn't bat an eye though and turned to his troops.

"LEAD THEM AWAY AT ONCE! THIS TRIAL IS OVER!" He ordered.

Spitelout and the rest were grabbed and dragged out of the hall and back to the prisons. Where some of them would be spending their final hours while others sentence would be partially executed.

Hiccup just remained stoically on the judge's platform, watching as Spitelout and his crew were dragged away. After a few moments he grabbed his helmet and walked away, no-one stopping him. Astrid looked on as he walked away but she couldn't bring herself to go after him. She knew this can't be easy to do but she also knew Hiccup needed a little time to himself.

 **Berk prisons, late afternoon, 266 ADF**

Spitelout and his fellow conspirators spend the remainder of the day back in the prison cells. Every now and again one of them would be taken out for a while for the branding and they would be put back later with their wounds treated but with a lasting reminder of their failure and banishment etched on their back. The only person who wasn't branded was Spitelout himself as he was left to his devices in a dark corner of the prison cell while he had to hear the faint screams of his fellow Vikings including his own son. As the cycle went on for hours and hours the point came where every single one of his fellow Vikings had been taken away and returned again. Now he just waited for the end.

Snotlout tried to talk to his father but he just wouldn't talk. For hours he remained silent until the moment where the prison doors were opened and a group of Vikings and Draconians strode in. It was time.

Every single prisoner was taken out of his cell, chained up and led outside. The village was largely abandoned safe for a few of the younger children and a few Draconian patrols, all the rest had already gone to the cliffs where the execution would take place.

When they got closer to the spiky cliffs Spitelout could see the crowd gathered around a block of stone with metal rings embedded to hold him in pace. He knew how a blood eagle was supposed to go, the victim was placed prone and then… well you get the picture.

Tora came walking up to the group and stopped them for a moment.

"Leave Spitelout and his family here for a moment and put the rest in their places to watch. Give him a moment to say goodbye to his family." Tora said.

The Vikings escorting the group blinked for a second but the troops obeyed immediately. "Yes ma'am. Come along." They said as they pulled everyone but Spitelout, his wife and Snotlout with them. Tora took some steps back as well to give them some privacy.

When all were far enough away Spitelout turned to his son. "Snotlout, listen to me. You must never forget what they did here today. NEVER!" he said.

Snotlout nodded trying not to cry as he knew his father was about to die.

"Promise…no swear that you'll avenge me! On your life!" Spitelout said.

"I will father." Snotlout answered.

The three talked for a minute or so before they were broken up again and Spitelout was separated from his family and brought to the centre-stone and chained up while Snotlout and his wife were placed in the line of watching prisoners. Then Stoick and Hiccup approached him.

"This is the end Jorgenson, have you got anything left to say?" Stoick asked sternly.

As an answer Spitelout only spat at Stoick's feet.

Stoick looked at his former second in command in disgust. "I guess not." He said while he walked away leaving Hiccup standing in front of Spitelout.

Spitelout looked up to Hiccup. "What… afraid to start Haddock…?" he spat.

"I am not your executioner today Spitelout, though I hate you enough to do it myself." Hiccup said, voice deepened through his helmet. "I'd say this is what you deserve, for all your crimes. And yet some part of me wants to thank you."

"What…?" Spitelout asked.

"You know without you I might have never known." Hiccup said while turning around and walking away. Leaving a flabbergasted Spitelout behind.

"He's all yours executioner." Hiccup said, afterwards he waved his hand in the air signalling his troops that their work was done. They all left the scene at his command. When he walked away he did hear the screams of the prisoners and some of the Viking population at the same time he heard a gurgling and splattering noise reminiscent of a Norn berserker being splattered between a wall and a Quaken dragon. He signed and made his way to the camp.

 **Draconian camp, evening, 266 ADF**

Hiccup and Tora had returned to the camp a while ago, the rest of the village was back in their homes as well after Spitelout's execution. If one would look to the cliffs where it happened you could see the ravens flying in circles over the spot, cleaning up the remains. Hiccup didn't focus on it though. He had other things to do.

"Alright Tora, have any unnecessary equipment and supplies loaded into the ships. I'd like to leave here tomorrow morning after breakfast." Hiccup said.

"Will be done sir." She answered. "You should take some time off sir. Spend some time with family before we leave again." Tora advised.

Hiccup chuckled. "Thank you sergeant, I think I will."

Hiccup gave a look at Toothless and motioned for him to follow, which the dragon gladly did. Together they left the camp and made their way into the village. The first thing he saw was Valka, his mother standing alone to the side of her house looking at something.

As he got closer he saw that she was looking at a small grey stone with some writing etched I it, like a grave or a memorial stone.

Valka heard her son and Toothless approaching and glanced to them. Hiccup had taken his helmet of some time ago and it was now resting on his belt. He came standing next to her while Toothless kept at a distance of about two meters. Hiccup looked more closely at the stone and saw what was written on it.

"In loving memory of our son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, taken away too soon. Yet never forgotten." Hiccup read out loud, afterwards he looked to his mother who kept looking at the gravestone.

"We never found your body, but we wanted you to have a memory in the village. This stone was placed about two month after you were taken." Valka said solemnly.

"But I didn't die… but of course you wouldn't know that…" Hiccup answered.

"Yes." Valka signed. "I'm grateful my son is still alive but I do regret not being able to see him grow up to the man he is now. When you were born I thought you might not make it, but Stoick… he never doubted. He always said you would become the strongest of them all." She said while looking at Hiccup and putting her hand on his cheek. "And he was right. Thanks to you our village and the entire Archipelago is safe."

Hiccup leaned into her touch. "Thanks mom. I'm happy I finally found you guys."

Valka smiled but frowned afterwards. "But you can't stay…" She said sadly.

"Unfortunately I can't mom. No matter how much I would like to, I still have a duty and a war to finish." Hiccup said.

Valka signed in recognition. "Just promise you will be safe and come back in one piece. Both of you." She said.

"No promises, you know I can't." Hiccup said. "But I will try my hardest." He said before chuckling.

Valka chuckled along. "Then I guess that has to be good enough for me." She said before spotting the teens a couple houses further chatting with her little girl and the Skrill that would never leave her side like Toothless and Hiccup.

Hiccup noticed them too but before he could say anything Valka spoke.

"Go on son, go have some fun with your friends." She said.

"Okay, bye mom!" Hiccup said while making a beeline for the group and more specifically the blonde Valkyrie while Toothless followed enthusiastically.

Valka chuckled and shook her head. 'They would make a good couple.' She thought while reminiscing how she and Stoick were. 'I hope they make the most of the time he is still here.' Valka thought while walking away to the Great-Hall to find Stoick.

 **It is finally done! And I must say it took a long time too (sorry everyone). So now we know what happened to Spitelout and his crew in the end. We'll never be seeing him again. As for those who were wondering why I didn't describe the scene more, I still have a T-rating and thrust me if I described a blood eagle I would be going way over M-rating. I did do some research on the topic and thrust me, it is gruesome. Basically a ritualised torture and execution method which would be unfit for the eyes and minds of my younger readers. Though some of the details of the method might have been lost in the translation.**

 **So I guess most of you have realised the story is kind of coming to its end. As of now I plan only doing a few more chapters, but I won't tell how many yet. *Evil laughter! Anyhow next chapter will be a little shorter than this one. There are only a few things that need to happen on Berk, so I believe the next one will come a little faster. I hope.**

 **Reviews:**

 **orca3553: wow wow, not too fast there. I'm actually not planning to give the Vikings their dragons yet. Except Valka maybe… though I do want to give the gang (except Snot) their dragons eventually.**

 **5: the wait is over and I think I was creative enough. And setting the stage for the next antagonist maybe, still thinking about it. As for the war, we'll get back to that very soon.**

 **Stormfly1124: Thanks, and good luck to you too. Though it isn't so bad down here, I have some fun courses. Like haematology.**

 **dracologistmaster: the teens won't be getting their dragons yet. That would happen after both Haddock siblings are back. And they won't be joining the war effort as they are needed on Berk.**

 **thearizona: again thanks for correcting me in the last chapter, I looked it up the second I saw it and changed it right away. And I hope the punishment was glorious, with some angry commander Hiccup mixed in it as well. Until next time!**

 **CartoonLoverBecky: you ask and I shall provide by the best of my abilities. I hope you liked it. Until next time.**

 **Grima: he will come back eventually, just you wait.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoyed, let me know what you think and see you all next time.**

 **Dismissed**


	17. Chapter 17: Departure

**Chapter 17: Departure**

 **(The following morning)**

 **Berk, morning, 266 ADF**

And like Valka wished in herself Hiccup, Hicca and the rest did make the most of their time left on the island. The group plus the two dragons the siblings possessed had gone around the entire village and island by an extend, while carefully avoiding the rocky cliff the execution had taken place hours before. While Fishlegs kept blurting out questions about any and all dragons known and some unknown to Vikings and the twins were interested in all the forms of destruction they brought with them, Astrid just had simple and comfortable conversation with the man they now all knew as the legion's commander. And Hiccup did his best to answer Fishlegs' questions, steer around the twins' ideas for destruction and keeping in conversation with Astrid all at once. Till deep into the night the six sat around a campfire on top of one of the old watchtowers. Astrid told Hiccup it was a traditional meeting spot during dragon training to build bonds between your fellow warriors, ironically now it was a place where dragon-riders taught the Vikings about the benefits as well as the comfort of dragon riding.

During this conversation the Vikings asked if they could become riders as well, and though Hiccup expected this question the answer wasn't so simple to explain. First he had to explain that a bond between a human and a dragon was a difficult and rare process. He told them that only fifteen to twenty percent of the imperial military were dragon riders and that some people never find their own dragon in their lifetime. However if a bond was formed the dragon and human would be friends and partners for the rest of their lives, as he demonstrated with Toothless who lay behind him. Hicca interjected by telling the rest that training a dragon wasn't easy either, she had been relentlessly drilling with Elysia for the past few weeks and was still way off the level of trust and skill her brother and Toothless were at. This however didn't scare the Vikings off a bit. Well, except Fishlegs maybe a bit.

It went even so far that the teens wanted to come with them to Draconia and learn the ways of dragon-riding. The twins and Astrid even said to come with them to fight the war. Hiccup however struck down this idea in an instant, he deemed it too dangerous for an entire generation of promising warriors loyal to Stoick to leave the island undefended to come with them. He argued with them that they were needed here to keep the tribe and the island safe when he and his sister were gone. Astrid was particularly pressing on the matter but dropped it after Hiccup ensured her he and Hicca would be fine. The Vikings did press on dragon-riding though, and after a long while Hiccup eventually said they could try it. But not now since there were more pressing matters.

In the end the group settled for a quiet end to the night while they all sat around the campfire on the old watchtower. Astrid even snuggled up to Hiccup and put his arm over her own shoulder, staying in place with a contempt smile. Ruff, Tuff and Fish did think about mentioning it for a second but were cut short by Hicca's scowl to them. A silent reminder to leave them be. Hiccup and Astrid though,… they didn't really care what the others thought. A bit of change from al the seriousness was gladly welcomed.

But of course like all good things they have to end one day. When the Viking teens rose from their beds the next morning there was zero activity in the Draconian encampment, which was strange. They all went to breakfast thinking the Draconians were just sleeping in. And they were partially right.

Hiccup did allow the troops to rise a bit later since they would be leaving today and a lot of equipment had already been loaded up the night before. Most rose quietly and had breakfast inside their tents, giving the village the impression of inactivity. By the time every Viking was in the Great-Hall eating the Draconians had finished and begun moving about while the Vikings still had the impression all of them were asleep.

Meanwhile Hiccup was on his way to one of the airship-bridges to get some information from its captain.

"Morning Commander." The captain greeted.

"Greetings Captain, do you have a moment?" Hiccup asked.

"Certainly sir." The officer said while turning to Hiccup.

"I just came to inform if all the maintenance has been completed and when you project we are able to depart?" Hiccup asked.

The captain thought for a moment. "Any small maintenance we did the past few days have been completed last night. I believe with your projected time to break up camp and the time needed to warm up the engines we should be able to depart in about two to two- and-a-half hours." He said.

"Alright, thank you Captain." Hiccup said.

"My pleasure." The Captain said while Hiccup walked away nodding.

Hiccup walked down the ramp of the ship and began traversing the camp again looking for Tora. Not long into his search Toothless came trotting next to Hiccup joining him.

"Hey bud." Hiccup said giving Toothless a scratch on the head. Much to the delight of the black lizard. "Ready to go home again?" he asked.

Toothless nodded his head but stopped for a moment and looked back towards the Great-Hall. He growled as if to ask what he thought about the Vikings.

Hiccup signed. "I know bud. I'll miss them too. I've become strangely attached to the village and its people." He said.

Toothless cocked his head and rumbled some more.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yes, I will certainly miss her bud." He said thinking about a certain blonde haired Viking. 'More than I want to admit.' He thought.

"Sir!" The conversation between man and dragon was broken by the one person Hiccup was looking for.

"Sergeant! Excellent timing, I was just looking for you." Hiccup said.

"And I was looking for you sir. What are your orders concerning our departure?" Tora asked.

"I just informed with one of the captains. We should be ready to leave in about two- to two-and-a-half hours. Make sure the camp is deconstructed and everything is loaded up by then." Hiccup said.

"Roger that sir." Tora replied.

"Get to it. I'll go have a little chat with the chief. It's about the traitors in the prison. Can you please designate a battalion to help with this while I go talk with him?" Hiccup asked.

"Will be done sir." Tora replied as she strode off to execute her orders.

"Come on Toothless, let's go talk to dad." Hiccup said as he turned around and made his way to the great hall. Toothless following close behind.

 **Great-Hall, morning, 266 ADF**

In the hall things were calm, considering it was only morning this was to be expected. Stoick, Valka and Gobber were at the main table talking. The teens were at their regular table doing the same. None of the younger Haddocks nor any of the Draconians were present though. Despite an open invitation from Stoick. Many thought they were still asleep since there was no activity to be seen this morning.

"So, what do you guys think Hiccup and his men were doing this morning?" Ruffnut asked.

"They were probably sleeping late." Fishlegs said.

"Or they all went into the forest early this morning to do something secret. Like military stuff." Tuffnut mused.

"Come on Tuff, that's ridiculous." Fishlegs said.

"I don't know. They probably could." Tuffnut said.

"I suppose they could do such a thing. But they wouldn't without letting us know first. Plus abandoning their camp entirely? That doesn't sound like them." Astrid said.

"So what do you think was the reason the camp was so silent this morning?" Ruffnut asked.

"Meh, they probably slept in like Fishlegs said." Astrid said whilst taking a sip from her drink.

"Hmm, I bet you would like to sleep in with him wouldn't you? Hiccup I mean." Ruffnut teased.

Astrid spat out her drink in surprise. And Tuffnut got it all in his face unfortunately. However his complaints were drained by Astrid's shout. "RUFFNUT!"

"Oh don't deny it. We all know you like him." Ruffnut teased. "Who wouldn't, with that firm backside in those tight…"

"WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS!" Astrid shouted a little red in her face.

"Suit yourself." Ruffnut said absentmindedly.

At this point the doors to the Great-Hall was opened and Hiccup strode in with his helmet clipped to his belt and Toothless flanking him. He walked right through the middle of the hall towards the central table were his mother and father were seated. Never once deviating from course. Several Vikings even stepped out of his way when they happened to be in his path.

"Looks like they're awake." Ruffnut commented.

Hiccup walked right up the small staircase to his dad with Toothless only a step behind him. Stoick smiled wide and welcomed him.

"Ah, good morning son. Have a good night's rest? Come sit down and join us for breakfast." Stoick said.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline dad. I already ate, and we're kind of busy outside." Hiccup said.

"Busy? When we came in here to eat there was no-one even up in yer camp. How can you eat and get ready so quickly?" Gobber asked.

"You thought we were sleeping in didn't you?" Hiccup asked with a smirk.

"Well, yeah…" Gobber answered.

"Well, we didn't. We just had breakfast quietly inside the tents and then came out to work. But enough of that, I'm here to speak with you dad. It's about our prisoner friends." Hiccup said.

Stoick's expression darkened but he knew this was a necessary evil. "Alright, what do you want to do?"

"I advise executing the plan while we are still here. We can assist you for as long as we are on the ground." Hiccup said.

"Agreed, we should get to it as fast as we can." Stoick said.

Hiccup nodded and made his way back out of the Great-Hall. Stoick and the rest of the Vikings finished their meals and went to work as well. Though they were in for a little surprise when they stepped outside. Instead of finding a small group of Draconians working they found the site in front of the Hall to be reminiscent of an ants-nest. Troops and dragons were running or flying around everywhere breaking up their camp and loading stuff into their ships. But there was also one battalion standing ready and waiting for them to handle the prisoners.

When they came at the bottom of the stairs one of the officers accompanying the battalion stepped forward and spoke to Stoick.

"Chief, our battalion has been assigned to help you with the prisoners. We stand ready." The officer said.

"Good, follow me." Stoick said.

 **Berk, late morning, 266 ADF**

Almost the entire morning was spend in preparing a ship for the banished to be cast off and bringing them to the docks. Though the prisoners were kept expertly under control by the Draconian troops flanking them from all sides. Hiccup was watching the parade from a high point close to the Draconian airships together with Hicca and both their dragons.

"It's sad actually…" Hiccup signed. "Having to banish so many because of the power hungry desires of one man."

"They deserve it though. Trust me Hiccup, you've done them a favour. If it weren't for you a lot more of them would have been executed." Hicca said whilst looking with her arms crossed.

"I suppose, though I hope this doesn't come to haunt Berk in the future." Hiccup said.

"You know if you'd stay nothing like that will be able to happen." Astrid said as she joined both siblings.

Hiccup signed. "You know I can't do that Astrid." He said as she came closer.

Astrid hooked her arms around his waist and laid her head in his chest. Hiccup returned the hug and held her in place. "I know… it was worth a try." She said solemnly.

Hiccup signed and grabbed hold of her head with one hand and turned her so he could look in her eyes. "Listen…I can't stay no matter what. It'll be on you and the rest to keep the village protected until we can return." He said.

"So you'll come back?" Astrid asked hopeful.

"Can't afford not to. Though I wasn't planning on staying at first I found something here I can believe in." Hiccup said. He was about to continue when sergeant Tora interrupted him.

"Sorry to interrupt you sir." Tora said. "But the ships are ready."

"Thank you sergeant, we'll be right over." Hiccup replied.

Astrid signed into his chest. "Guess this is it isn't it?" she asked sadly.

"Yes Astrid, it unfortunately is. Listen, I do not know when we will return. The war can still drag on for several years and Berk is too far away to make quick visits." Hiccup said as Stoick, Valka, Gobber and the rest of the teens joined them. "But do know that we will return one day. Until that time you need to keep the village safe. Can you do that for me?"

Astrid nodded trying so hard not to let a tear escape. She eventually released Hiccup so he and his sister could say goodbye.

"Safe journey Hiccup. Good luck out there." Fishlegs said shaking Hiccups hand.

"Keep your wits intact Fish." Hiccup said. "And keep the twins under control." He whispered with a smile.

"Goodbye Hic." "Safe travels." Both Ruffnut and Tuffnut said to the siblings.

"Son, Daughter." Stoick said. Both siblings took a step forward only to be enveloped in a hug by both Stoick and Valka. "I might still not agree with all this but I wish you both the best of luck. Make us proud." Stoick said.

"Goodbye my sweets, be careful." Valka said to both. "Hiccup, keep your little sister alive okay." She said to Hiccup.

"I will." Hiccup said.

"Hicca, before you leave. We have something for you." Stoick said motioning for Gobber to come closer. "We originally had a helmet ready to give you when you were old enough, though you already have one now." He said while Gobber pulled a small box out of his pockets. "Hiccup also explained you can't carry weapons yet so I had him reforge the helmet into this pendant for you." He said pulling a small chain necklace containing Mjolnir, Thor's mighty hammer as a pendant. "It is to protect you." Stoick said as he put the necklace in her hand.

Hicca looked at the token and smiled. "Thanks dad, thanks Gobber."

"You're welcome lass, I'm going ta miss ya." Gobber said.

"Me too Gobber, me too." Hicca said.

Hicca and hiccup stepped away from the three adults and Hicca took her helmet from her belt and pulled it over her head, clicking it into place. "Come on Hiccup, we need to go." She said with her voice deepened by her helmet. The Vikings, who had never heard her like this found it sounded a little bit intimidating.

"On my way." Hiccup said but before he could move he was pulled back by Astrid. "Wait wha…" Hiccup tried to say but didn't get any further as she kissed him on the cheek. Rendering him speechless.

He gently touched the cheek where she kissed and looked at her with wide eyes. "Come back soon." She said to him.

Hiccup stared for a moment before his resolve hardened. He gave a firm nod to Astrid. "As you wish. Milady." He said before turning around, putting on his helmet as well and giving a hand signal to the captains on the bridge.

Meanwhile on the boat containing the prisoners soon to be banished Snotlout was livid. Not only had Hiccup murdered his father and made him an outlaw in the entire archipelago. He also managed to win Astrid's love for himself. 'One day Hiccup. I'll have my revenge and Astrid will be mine. Mark my words, you…are…dead.' He thought.

The Vikings who remained on the ground could only stare when first Hicca and Elysia stepped up the ramp of the lead airship soon followed by Hiccup and Toothless. By then the engines had come up to speed and the turbines were spinning faster and faster. Blowing leaves and small twigs away. They listened to the thundering sound the machines made when prepping to take off. Hiccup paused on the ramp briefly to look back at his parents and new friends. He gave them one final salute before stepping inside and the drawbridge was raised.

Hiccup quickly made his way over to the bridge where the captain was waiting.

"Sir?" the captain asked.

"Permission granted Captain, take us up." Hiccup said.

"Affirmative sir." He replied.

To the Vikings on the ground the engines seemed to kick in a higher gear and the giant airships came loose from the ground. The landing legs were retracted and altitude was gained. All three ships set a course south and began climbing. Surprisingly gracefully gliding over the village and into open sea. Those who were looking could see several troopers and dragons on the edge of the hangars of the airships waving goodbye. Amongst them was Hicca and Elysia.

Not long after the boat carrying the banished Berkians cast off, though no-one actually spared them a final glance. They were more focused on the three ships flying south. Until they almost disappeared over the horizon several hours later. The last one who kept looking was none other than Astrid Hofferson. Staring wishfully at the horizon.

"Come back soon…" Were her words to the wind.

 **Alright, I fear that's it for today. I know it isn't much and might seem rushed at moments but there wasn't an awful lot to say anymore. It's just done from here on out. I hereby will also say that regretfully this has been the second to last chapter of A Prophecy and a dragon. It's almost over, the only thing that remains now is the epilogue. It will likely be one of the longest chapters in the story and will take quite some time to complete. Tying up most of the loose ends. Please let me know if you still have plot points you wish to see resolved and I'll see what I can do.**

 **Anyway let's wrap up. Spitelout is dead, the traitors have been banished, Snotlout swears revenge, Hiccup and Hicca have left for the war and Berk is left wondering when they'll return.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Frost: I noticed that this happened concerning your name. I assure you this was not my intention. Fanfiction seems to be a little glitch concerning names. It's there in the original document but not in the published version for some reason. Also thanks for pointing out that mistake, as you see English isn't my native language. As for your review you are quite right, nothing wrong with setting up an antagonist for a possible sequel isn't there. And yeah, definitely not meant for children.**

 **Grima: I hope this chapter gives you some answers and clues to the future. The parents meeting is a nice idea I'm toying with for the future.**

 **Dracologistmaster: you're in luck. We're tying up that plotline next chapter.**

 **Jyx The Conqueror: don't say I didn't warn you. But yeah, some details might have been lost in translation though.**

 **Maerk: an interesting theory to say the least. And Astrid stowing away was actually a nice idea but it didn't fit in here I thought. As for the Norn finding Snotlout I think they won't have the chance to do so in this story. However wait a second, let's hold that thought shall we. Could be interesting. And indeed, I kinda need an antagonist.**

 **Thearizona: very much on point like always. I am honoured by your compliments. And who doesn't love to have a main character that is often disliked get slaughtered. And I think we will see Snotlout again…someday perhaps. Till next time mate.**

 **Anyway I hope you all enjoyed. Now for a little announcement if you guys are interested.**

 **I have for the past few weeks been working on my next story. It isn't HTTYD if you're wondering no. it's from one of my favourite series from my youth, Danny Phantom. The concept is largely complete but I don't want to publish it before this story is finished. However some of you might receive a little sneak peek inside a private message to see what you think about it. I will be choosing whom I'm sending it to myself but if you're interested let me know (No guarantees). It will go online soon after the completion of A Prophecy and a Dragon. Thank you for your attention.**

 **Dismissed**


	18. Chapter 18: Epilogue

**Chapter 18: Epilogue**

 **(Two years later)**

 **Plains outside Troyares, afternoon, 268 ADF**

Grass was waving slightly in the cool afternoon breeze. A bird touched down and began digging in the ground looking for some insects to eat. All looked peaceful on this small patch of grass. But the truth was far the opposite.

The bird was scared away by a thunderous bang nearby and a small cloud of smoke and dust spread itself. Several more bangs were heard and one could hear the whizzing of projectiles flying through the air. About ten meters further a large cannon was anchored to the ground and its crew were working tirelessly firing more and more shells. Overhead flew several wings of dragon riders while on the ground hundreds of other troops were steadily marching onwards, cutting down the occasional enemy in their paths while the bombs impacted further in the field or on the ruined buildings of the nearby city. Every single one of them wore the same type of armour and marched under the same banner. The Draconian Imperial flag.

Along the line of artillery cannons was a small table with some maps on it surrounded by more troops in Draconian armour and some dragons. One of them was a rider in green-brown camouflage tinted gear looking over the map while waving hand signals and shouting orders to his fellows. Behind him stood a sleek black dragon that was feared all around the world watching him and the battlefield. This man, was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III together with his loyal companion Toothless.

It has been two years since he and Toothless went to the Barbaric Archipelago, saved a tribe from a coup and while there discovered his long lost family. He even found out he had a little sister who was just like him. However he was forced to leave to fight the war, but he didn't leave alone.

"Alright! All forward, follow the Juggernauts! We're breaking that wall today." Hiccup ordered.

He then cast his gaze at the sky and searched for that unmistakable screech of a Skrill. You see his biological sister who goes by the name Hicca decided that she wanted to fight alongside them during a brief visit to the capitol. He found her flying together with his friend and fellow commander Valentine, and the riders of the fourth legion. After he and Hicca returned to Draconia she was immediately put into boot camp and trained for the fight. Hicca always recalled that those were the six most hellish months of her life but that she was grateful for the training received.

He saw them dive down and the Skrill Hicca flew, named Elysia released a devastating blast of lightning onto the enemy battlement. Throwing some of the enemy off the wall. Afterwards the entire wing swung around for another pass. Hicca was inducted into the fourth legion by request of Hiccup himself. He wanted his sister be safe and in the hands of someone he trusted.

Over the span of two years they changed, he got a little larger and gained some more features of maturity but Hicca changed the most since they left Berk. The Vikings there wouldn't even recognise her anymore. Gone was the quiet fourteen year old who used to live in the shadows on Berk. In her place was now a tall and proud young woman with unbreakable resolve. Gone is the all-white cadet armour as well, in its place was now the white and yellow variant used by the fourth legion. Complete with pauldron on the left shoulder, Kama at the back of the hips and a lot of weapons on her belt, back and chest. During the fight she even managed to make a name for herself. The troops call her the Viking, due to her unbreakable resolve in the fight and outside of it.

It has been a long two years. Ever since the deployment of the Juggernauts the Empire has been pushing back relentlessly on the frontline, scoring victory after victory and driving the Norn back. Up until their most important stronghold and a painful memory for the Draconians. The now ruined city of Troyares. The first city to fall at the start of the invasion 92 years ago. The offensive on the city had been raging on for four days now. But Hiccup and the rest were motivated to break them today.

"Alright keep firing! All forward, this battle ends today!" Hiccup shouted as he mounted Toothless. "FOR DRACONIA!"

"FOR DRACONIA!" was shouted all over the battle field as a war-cry.

Hiccup and Toothless took off with their rider wing close behind while the rest of the ground troops and raptor squads joined the charge forward towards the wall. In the distance to his left he could also see one of the three Juggernauts currently operational. Truthfully two of them were actually present in this battle while the third was doing patrols along the newly liberated coastlines. Imperial command had decided to throw everything they could spare at Troyares while the rest secured the borders.

The giant, ten-wheeled tank rolled forward flattening a few Norn who couldn't jump out of the way fast enough and fired its cannons for the city wall. They shook under the impact of the explosives. Four days of bombardment had done a number on the structure, it was barely holding together at all. The defending Norn on the battlements were desperately trying to repel the attacks. Using anything to be flung over the wall with makeshift catapults and javelin throwers, pieces of rubble, old furniture, ruined remains of houses even dead bodies were loaded up and launched towards the Draconians. Some of the larger pieces got a lucky hit but it did next to nothing to slow them down.

However the next strafing run from a nearby wing of dragon riders proved to be too much for the already crippled wall, which crashed down with a thunderous bang.

Hiccup and Toothless levelled out together with the rest of the dragon riders to observe the destruction of the wall after four long days of sieging. Victory was within grasp. Hiccup then searched for his sister amongst the riders and found her not so far off.

Hicca was holding her large crossbow in hand and snapped the firing ropes backwards, then she noticed her brother was watching her. She held the weapon in her right hand while she used the left to give a thumbs up to Hiccup, letting him know she'll be fine.

Hiccup grinned underneath his helmet, he then waved his arm downwards to begin the charge for the inner city. All the wings dived down and spread across the ruined building or the ravaged ground. They weaved around the ruined building picking of enemies who were spread everywhere while the gunfire still rained down from above. Hiccup and Toothless landed on the edge of one of the ruined towers and Hiccup dismounted, taking a second to see the ground troops stream through the fresh hole in the wall.

He then turned to Toothless. "This is going to turn into a battle of attrition Toothless. We need to split up. Keep to the air and take out as many as you can. I'll hunt them down on the ground." He ordered pointing up into the sky and the buildings to his left.

Toothless whined and butted his nose in Hiccup's chest saying that he didn't like it one bit.

"I'll be fine Toothless, go!" Hiccup said giving his friend a rub on the nose. Toothless nodded and took off again whilst Hiccup drew his sword and charged inside.

He smashed the door and quickly dispatched the two Norn hiding inside as another shell hit nearby and send rubble flying everywhere. This stunned another Norn warrior on the balcony outside, Hiccup moved fast and kicked him square in the chest sending him off the building. He fell to his death impaled on a broken wooden beam. Afterwards Hiccup took off running again.

About five minutes later he came at another building where several Norn had entrenched themselves and were shooting at the ground troops down below. They were trying to scale the building to get to them but they were pinned down by the enemy archers. Some of the troops sadly didn't survive this far. As Hiccup said in the beginning, a battle of attrition.

Hiccup hid behind a corner up on top of the roof and took one of his grenades. He primed it and flung it inside the windows of the room their enemy was entrenched in across the street. The resulting explosion blew out the room and silenced the Norn inside. Afterwards Hiccup ran to the edge of the roof and helped his fellow soldiers up.

"Thanks for the help sir." One of them said.

"We're far from done here soldier. Let's get moving." Hiccup said.

"Aye aye sir." They responded.

For what seemed like hours Hiccup kept going through the city, slaughtering every Norn in his path. Making his way up and down building helping out his brothers and sister in battle. Every once in a while he would hear and see Toothless streak by and another patch of rubble would blow apart from the plasma blast. Not like that wasn't happening by the artillery shells already. Bathing the once proud city in a blanked of smoke and dust.

At one point he ran into Hicca, his biological younger sister. She also had dismounted and was fighting on the ground. The only difference was that Elysia kept very close to her, flying in circles around where she was or perched on a nearby rooftop providing fire support. If anyone ever said that Hiccup was unconventional then that was a family trait. Like her brother before her Hicca didn't necessarily use the standard issue weapons, instead opting to use the ones she designed herself. She had taken a liking in using an axe on the field, maybe this was because of her Viking heritage. And while Hiccup was technically a Viking as well he has never known anything of their culture up until a few years ago. Hicca grew up in it. But of course her axe had to be special. It was in essence an axe-staff, a double bladed weapon that was folded into a normal one sided axe when not in use. But when used Hicca folded it to its longer state via a hinge build in the centre, making the weapon longer with two blades on opposite sides.

Hicca used this weapon with expertise having had over two years to perfect her technique. The oncoming Norn berserker felt this when he made the mistake to charge her and had his head sliced off by said girl spinning around the axe-staff. Hiccup nodded to himself knowing she could hold her own and moved further in the city. Him and the rest of the Draconian forces slowly but surely reaching the coast and the docks.

Five hours after the walls fell Hiccup had managed to get on the tallest building left in the city. Well, at least what was left of it. Great black smoke plumes were rising all around him but now he could see clearly what was happening all around him. On the docks at the coast there was what was left of the Norn invasion fleet. Big wooden transport boats they used to ferry men across the seas to invade new lands. Sturdy, but old. Many had fell in a state of disrepair and were hardly seaworthy. Yet they were now being used for one last purpose,…evacuation.

The Norn did now finally understand that this was a conflict they couldn't win. Over 92 years ago they awoke something they had no chance to defeat. They may have had some early victories but in the end Draconia pushed back and threw them in the sea. In essence they were already defeated, this was just the final push.

Overhead flew the thing that would make that final push, every airship they had present was flying towards the docks to make the final hit. By now the Norn were in full retreat and the Draconians made chase with a thundering war-cry.

Within the hour it was all over and in the distance what remained of the Norn fleet could be seen while an eerie silence hung over the ruined city of Troyares. On the tallest building they could find a flagpole was planted and slowly the Imperial flag was raised. It was done,… the war was over. Hiccup looked as the flag was raised overhead. When it was all the way at the top and flying proudly he turned around and gazed at the men and women on the ground. Amongst them people and dragons he has known for years, other he had just met a few days ago. H saw friends he'd known as a child and lost family he found far away. All of them different yet with a common purpose, a purpose now fulfilled.

He looked to Toothless who had landed next to him. He nodded to his friend, raised his sword and looked to the crowd below. "VICTORY!" He screamed as loud as he could.

The response was deafening. The dragons roared to the sky while every single trooper, be it land or air returned his cry that would be remembered for years to come. A thunderous cry of victory was carried over the land.

After 92 years… it was finally over.

 **Troyares inner city, evening, 268 ADF**

A small campfire crackled at the top of the building where the Imperial flag waved in the wind. It was already dark but in the streets there was an abundance of light. A celebration was held by the troops to celebrate the end of the war. Hiccup however didn't participate in this, he kept to his small fire high up. The war might be over but someone needed to keep watch, so the higher officers volunteered to stand guard while the normal soldiers had their celebrations. They deserved it.

So now Hiccup was leaning against a sleeping Toothless next to the campfire while observing the vast ocean in front of him and the starry sky above. Opted to remove his blood splattered helmet to clean it a little. It now rested at his left flank.

After a while he heard footsteps approaching but he made no move to get up as he knew who would come to him now.

"Shouldn't you be down celebrating with the rest of the soldiers sis?" Hiccup asked leisurely.

He could hear a chuckle behind him. "What is a party without family?" Hicca asked as she stepped in front of Hiccup, helmet in hand.

As previously said she had changed. She's become taller and more defined over the years. Armour wise she wore the standard issue fourth legion equipment. White and yellow armour covering her entire body added with a pauldron on the right shoulder and the yellow Kama on the hips. Her axe and crossbow were sheathed on her back and her belt was filled with the many devices and pouches used in combat and beyond.

"You? Not going to a celebration? I somehow don't believe you." Hiccup said sarcastically.

"Alright, I had some fun for a while. But now I just wanted to come find you." Hicca said as she sat down next to Hiccup. Elysia lay down near the fire. "Are you having a problem with it?"

"Not at all sis." Hiccup said smiling.

"Good, it's not like we can't hold our own little celebration up here." Hicca said as she pulled a small metal bottle from her belt.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow in mock surprise. "Already drinking? What would mom and dad say?" he joked.

Hicca took a swig and turned to her brother. "What?! Like you're any better Hiccup." She said as she looked at Hiccup's flask on his belt.

Hiccup chuckled and took his own. Taking a swig. "I guess you're right, just know your limit." He said.

"I know the limit." Hicca said as she waved her flask around. "One for you and two for me." She said as she gestured to the second one on the other side of her belt.

"Drunkard." Hiccup quipped.

Hicca laughed,… freely. Not like she used to on Berk, now she could show her emotions freely. Once she stopped laughing she looked up into the night sky. "It's been over two years now. When we left Berk I never imagined we would come to where we are now." She said.

"We've come a long way indeed. And so have you." Hiccup said.

"Hmm…, did you ever think about mom and dad back home?" Hicca asked.

"I did sometimes." Hiccup answered.

"Are you ready to go back? Now that the war is over we are free to go." Hicca asked.

Hiccup signed. "You know in the past I always planned to go on an expedition to find you. I never planned to stay however. Though now that I've been there and met you, mom and dad, Astrid and all the rest. I'll think I'll take my chances with staying on Berk indefinitely." He said as he smiled towards Hicca.

Hicca smiled back and the two joined in a hug between brother and sister.

When they released each other Hicca spoke again.

"So when do we leave? We could be there in about two weeks from the capitol." She asked.

"Woah, not so fast sis. There are still some things to be done. We aren't leaving yet." Hiccup answered.

Hicca chuckled. "As long as we do it together." She said.

"On that we can agree." Hiccup answered.

 **(About a week later)**

 **Draconian capitol, just after noon, 268 ADF**

Hiccup heard the shouts of celebration all around him. With the end of the war the entire nation was thrown into a state of complete euphoria and celebration. For the first time in almost a century parents knew that their children would grow up without knowing the horrors of war. For the first time parents didn't have to say goodbye to their sons and daughters only to get a message back that they perished on the front. For the first time they had hope for a better, more prosperous future.

And so Hiccup and the rest of the troops who fought the final battle at Troyares were welcomed as heroes in the capitol. In honour of the victory a grand parade was staged leading all the way through the city up to the steps of the palace. Each legion that participated in the battle marched through the streets on the steady rhythm of the music and the joyous cries of the population. The Imperial flag waved proudly on every building and the dragons flew in formation above them, for once without their riders.

As per custom Hiccup marched in front of the 250 active troops while they followed in rectangle formation behind him. Somewhere behind him Hicca was doing the same with Valentine leading the charge. They marched through the entire city till they eventually came to the main square in front of the palace. At the entrance they passed underneath a monument archway that was still under construction. Hiccup signed quietly when passing it, the monument would serve as a reminder of the cost of war and a memory to everyone who was killed. The names of everyone who died in battle over the past 92 years. And that were a lot of names.

They marched on for another minute or so before stopping at their designated position and standing in parade rest, waiting for the rest of the army to reach the main square. The dragons meanwhile were making circles around the palace.

From his position Hiccup could just make out his adoptive parents, the emperor and empress and his adoptive older sister Mae on one of the lowest balconies ahead. They were supposed to give a speech in celebration of the victory and announce the future of the empire. As soon as all legions were at their positions and the marching sound had stopped Dytaldir, the emperor stepped forward. His voice was enhanced by a loudspeaker like device rigged on the side of the balcony.

"My fellow countrymen, soldiers of the Imperial army! I am humbled to be standing in front of you today." He began. "Today is a day that will be remembered for generations to come. For almost the entirety of the last century our nation has been ravaged by war. Invaded by a foreign enemy who destroyed our land and slaughtered our people for mere conquest. As of today that war is finally over. Due to the efforts and sacrifices of every one of you, especially the men and women I see here before me. Their courage and sacrifices ensured peace for our nation. I am truly humbled to be in your presence."

To this statement all the troops made a simultaneous salute to the emperor. They held for a moment before he continued.

"We as a people must ensure their courage and sacrifices are never forgotten. The monument now being constructed will be a testament to that." Dytaldir said as he gestured to the victory arch being constructed. Hiccup hung his head a little in memory of fallen friends, and he was hardly the only one. "We will also ensure that such a conflict will never take place again in Draconia. The Iron Shield network and The Wall will make sure of that. A construction that will be completed very soon, ensuring the safety of our empire for the next two centuries." He proudly proclaimed. "I thank you all, and have a great victory celebration!"

The public shouted in celebration again while the troops turned around and began making their way back to the barracks. Hiccup very much knew what his adoptive father was talking about. For he had seen parts of it being constructed. The wall was an idea implemented a few years back. It consisted of a series of fortifications along the entire length of the Draconian coastline, a giant wall keeping out any hostile invasion forces. Combined with The Iron Shield the border should be almost unbreakable. The Iron Shield was a defence network build around repurposed Imperial artillery companies, now that the war was over they had become slightly obsolete just like the massive military. The empire had decided that it was best to reduce the size of the military, so the artillery companies were dismantled and the cannons were used as artillery turrets alongside the wall. A network of large and smaller guns to keep the border safe, operated by the former artillery companies. It was the best course of action in these times of change.

But Draconia wasn't the only place times were about to change.

 **(Several days later)**

 **Imperial palace, afternoon, 268 ADF**

Over the next few days the two sibling retreated into the palace to spend time with the Imperial royal family and prepare their return to the Archipelago. Which the rest of the royal family was kind of sad about. They were very fond of their adoptive son and their love for the young Viking girl had also grown with the years. Mae and Valentine were especially sad to see them go and tried to persuade them otherwise now that they were about to leave.

"Are you sure you want to back? You know you're both welcome to live here." Mae asked hopefully for the hundredth time in these past few days.

Hiccup signed, she had been asking for days. He knew she had a hard time saying goodbye. "Yes, we are sure Mae. I know I used to say I would always be here but times change. And right now my place is out there, with the Vikings." He said.

"It's not like we can't come to visit right?" Hicca said standing with Elysia nearby. Her bag already packed.

"That's right, we'll only be about a week's flight away." Hiccup added.

"But…" Mae began.

"Mae please…, you know we can't be around all the time. And you'll have Valentine with you now." Hiccup said.

That was a sentence Hiccup had wanted to say for years actually, for it had finally happened. For months he and Hicca had been pushing Mae and Valentine together until Valentine finally confessed his feelings for the princess. This prompted Mae to do the same and they've been together ever since. It also made for some very awkward situation which may or may not have been purposely caused by the Haddock siblings.

"You're never going to let us live that one down are you?" Valentine said.

"Nope, never going to happen Valentine!" Hicca said.

"You do realise I am your senior officer Hicca." Valentine shot back.

"Yes Commander, what do you want me to do? Storm the gates of the palace and kill everyone inside? I can do that." Hicca joked back.

Valentine laughed. "Let's keep that one for another time." He said.

Hicca smiled. "I'm going to miss you Valentine." She said.

"Me too Hicca, me too." He answered.

"So how are you planning to go?" Mae asked.

Hiccup, just finishing his backpack slung it around onto his back and secured it. "We were thinking to do some island hopping. Flying during the day and resting on a random island until we arrive on Berk." He said.

"It would take us about a week to get there." Hicca continued.

At this moment the empress and emperor walked into the room the four young adults were in. Hiccup greeted them first.

"Hello mother, father. Come to see us off?" He asked.

"Yes, Yelena and I would hate it to see you both leave without saying goodbye." Dytaldir said.

"Not to mention that I still hate to see you both leave." Yelena said.

"Come now dear, this is their choice. We can't keep them here without them wanting to stay." Dytaldir said.

"I know…" She said sadly. "But we're not going to let you both leave without a gift."

Hiccup shifted his backpack a little and Hicca looked at the different packs on Elysia and herself. "Uh, thanks for the offer mother but I'm afraid we won't be able to carry anything more." Hiccup said.

Dytaldir chuckled. "You won't be needing to carry anything son. Come on, all of you." He said as he waved everyone to follow him.

Hiccup and Hicca looked at one-another and shrugged. They had no idea what they were on about.

The group walked through the corridors of the palace making their way towards what both siblings knew as one of the airship docks. When they rounded the corner leading to the outside dock they saw one bastion-class airship landed without any crew present. Dytaldir was smiling at the sight.

Slowly it dawned on Hiccup. "Wait, you're giving us that? An entire airship for just the two of us?" He asked incredulously.

Dytaldir chuckled along with Yelena, Mae and Valentine. Seems like they were all aware of this. "It's all yours. And your village's by extension. It's fully stocked and the Fireworm colony is yours to use as you see fit." Dytaldir said.

Hiccup looked at him with wide eyes while Hicca was flabbergasted. "F..father, I can't take this. It's way too much, the Empire could use these!" He said.

"Nu-uh Hiccup, no returns. It's yours." Valentine chimed in.

"You know Hiccup, that ship is stocked with enough ammunition to level a sizable village. Could be fun." Hicca said.

"Oh don't make me think about what could happen with that amount of firepower. Sometimes I worry about you Hicca." Hiccup said.

"So will you take it?" Mae asked.

Hiccup thought deep for a moment. "The safest hands are still our own. As long as it remains with me or Hicca nothing too bad can happen. Plus I have some ideas for Fireworms." He said before looking at the four members of the royal family. "We'll take it."

The royal family smiled while Hicca silently celebrated behind Hiccup's back. She had always wanted one of those since she had flown in one. Granted she had ridden one of the Juggernauts but flying was still cooler.

Mae then stepped forward and enveloped Hiccup in a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you Hiccup…" she said sadly.

"Me too Mae, I promise I'll visit." He said while returning the hug.

After Mae released him and moved over to Hicca it was Valentines turn. The two men grabbed each other's forearm and Hiccup laid a hand on Valentine's shoulder. "It's been an honour knowing you Hiccup. Both as the prophesised one and as a friend." Valentine said.

"Farewell my friend. Take care of Mae now that I won't be able to do so anymore." Hiccup said looking back at Mae and Hicca. Then he turned back to Valentine. "And let me know when the wedding will be." He whispered.

Valentine turned bright red for a moment and looked at Mae. "Yeah… I'll do that…" He said awkwardly.

Hiccup smiled and patted him on the head. Then he turned to his adoptive parents who were already saying goodbye to Hicca. Hiccup turned to his adoptive father.

"Father, I wish to say thank you for all these years. Even if you weren't my real father I still see you as one." Hiccup said.

"The pleasure was all mine son. Come and give this old man a hug." Dytaldir said opening his arms, an invitation Hiccup gladly accepted. After they released each other Dytaldir pulled two document cylinders from his clothes and gave them to Hiccup. "Please give these documents to the Chief of your village. One is a diplomatic treaty you might enjoy. The other is a personal letter from myself to your biological father."

Hiccup stashed away the letter to Stoick and opened the cylinder containing the diplomatic document and read it.

"Seriously?!" Hiccup asked after reading the letter.

"Gaining a diplomatic foothold in the archipelago would be advantageous. An alliance and trade agreement between both our lands would be mutually beneficial. Maybe a little more for Berk though." Dytaldir said with a grin.

Hiccup chuckled. "I'll see to it that it is signed and send back here." He said.

"Good, we also took the liberty to stock the ship with plenty of building materials and gear. Seeing that you will be making a lot of improvements to your island. It's to get you started." Dytaldir said.

Hiccup nodded. "Thanks."

"My pleasure Hiccup." Dytaldir said.

Afterwards Hiccup said goodbye to Yelena and the last of the supplies in the airship. All of them shared one last hug before both siblings embarked on the ship. Hicca proceeded into the cockpit while Hiccup made his way to the engine room.

Hicca sat herself down in the seat of the pilot and first officer and spoke in one of the tubes leading to the engine bay so Hiccup could hear her. "Alright Hiccup, I'm at the controls. You can start her up." She said.

"Roger that." He said back. He flicked a few switches and pushed a couple buttons before moving to a lever to link the dragon powered engine to the drive system to get the turbines going. "Stand by… ignition!" He said as he pushed the lever in its socked and the ship shook for a moment when the already running parts connected with the still static ones.

When watched from the outside one could hear a soft mechanical bang and the whirring up of the turbines as they got up to speed. The royal family watched as the drawbridge was raised closed and the turbines began pointing upwards and gaining speed.

Hiccup walked in the door of the bridge after he left the engine bay. On the bridge he saw Hicca sitting in the pilot's seat being flanked by Elysia and Toothless whom were already present from the beginning. He walked up to the bridge's windows and looked upon the royal family, their adoptive family for a final time.

Hicca chuckled. "Permission to take off Captain?" She jokily asked.

Hiccup laughed. "Granted first officer. Take us home." He answered.

Hicca did as she was ordered and punched the accelerator. Slowly the ship came oose from the ground and rose up into the air. Once they were two to three meters up Hicca flicked a switch which caused the landing legs to retract back into the hull. Afterwards the ship swung around and made a heading north. Hiccup made a final wave out of the cockpit before moving out of view from the palace docks.

Hiccup walked past Hicca and sat down in the captain's chair behind her, gazing out of the cockpit over the capitol city.

"So, we're finally heading home huh." Hicca said.

"Yes we are. Raise the angle by five degrees, he need to gain some height. After we're outside the city perimeter we'll have two weeks of flying ahead." Hiccup said. "Father said he had some extra stuff loaded in. want to go check out the hangar bay when we're out of the city?" he asked.

"You bet. Huh, two weeks. It'll be dead winter when we arrive in Berk." Hicca mused.

"That sounds about right. Wait, wasn't there some Viking holiday in the dead of winter? Like the one around the same time as dragon nesting season, what was the name again? Snugglehog?" Hiccup asked.

Hicca laughed. "Close but not quite. It's called Snoggletog. You really need to work on your Viking culture big brother." She said

"Well excuse me if I can't pronounce the name of a holiday I never celebrated." Hiccup exclaimed as he waved his arms around. "What is it with Vikings and strange names anyway?" he asked.

"Looks who's talking." Hicca said.

"Well like your name is any better. On second thought you were kind of named after me. Then why did mom and dad call me Hiccup?" He asked.

"Vikings believe a hideous name will scare off gnomes and trolls." Hicca explained absent minded.

Hiccup frowned for a moment. "Then what about Astrid? If I recall correctly her name literally means divine beauty. How is that going to scare of mythical creatures?" he asked.

"Bro, this is Astrid we're talking about. She could even scare you away." Hicca laughed.

"Fair point." Hiccup said.

"Speaking of her. Are you looking forward to seeing her again?" Hicca asked with obvious amusement in her voice.

"Oh please don't start another Mae/Valentine crusade please." Hiccup said with obvious embarrassment.

"So you are looking forward to seeing her again?" Hicca asked again.

"Of course! There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought about her since we left Berk. But don't tell anyone I said that." Hiccup said quickly.

Hicca chuckled. "I solemnly swear your secret is safe with me brother." She said as she held up two fingers.

"Why do I have the feeling you won't be keeping your word?" Hiccup asked.

"That my dear brother is for me to know and for you to forever wonder about." Hicca said.

"Like always huh. How on earth is the village going to be able to deal with us?" Hiccup said.

"They could deal with the twins right. They'll manage." Hicca said.

"But can they deal with us on top of the twins?" Hiccup joked.

"The question is, can they deal with the twins on top of us?" Hicca corrected.

Hiccup chuckled. "I call chaos and insanity." He said.

"True that." Hicca concluded.

 **(Two weeks later)**

 **Berk village, evening, 268 ADF**

It was Snoggletog on Berk and like one would expect at this time of the year Berk was white due to the snow, and even more was still falling as a semi-blizzard was raging over the island. The houses and the Great-Hall were lit with warm fires and in the centre of the village stood a Snoggletog tree made out of green wood planks decorated with Vikings shields. In short the mood was festive.

Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs were at the village square helping with the final touches before the feast that was about to begin in about half an hour. The last two years had been very kind to them, all four had matured and become more defined in their adolescence. Most of them had become a little bit taller and Fishlegs had begun developing a slight beard, something he was very proud of.

Their attire had changed slightly as well. Stepping off from her blue-greenish tunic she now wore a red one. Her skirt had now more leather added to it and her general appearance consisted of a lot more fur. Specifically on her arms and boots as well as the new fur hood to keep her warm. Some things, like the shoulder guards however never changed. The twins had chosen a more ragged look. Tuffnut opting for blonde dreadlocks while Ruffnut wore her hair in three long braids. Both added fur to their outfit as well though Tuffnut opted to use a bit more spikes. Okay a lot more.

And speaking of more fur the record holder was without a doubt Fishlegs. With his current size and all the fur he wore people could mistake him for an actual bear. A gentle, kind-hearted one but a bear none the less.

Together they were working making small but jolly conversation though they all knew this was merely a distraction for what was really going on.

Snoggletog was a holiday about family, friends and good times. It was also the occasion to remember the ones who weren't with them or couldn't anymore. This had weighed heavily on the four friends for the past two years, and it weighed even heavier on Stoick and Valka.

"Do you think they'll return this year?" Ruffnut finally asked being brave enough to tackle the issue.

Astrid just hung her shoulders and signed but didn't say anything.

"They'll return eventually." Fishlegs said solemnly. "At least we know their still alive. They have been writing."

"Yeah, but the last letter was about five months ago. After that we haven't heard anything from them." Astrid said sadly.

"Come on Astrid, you know how bad communication is between here and the Empire. They'll be fine." Ruffnut encouraged.

Astrid signed again and looked up into the dark and stormy sky whilst the snow was falling down. "I just wish they'd come back soon." She said.

The four teens nodded in agreement. "We all do Astrid, we all do." Tuffnut said. Before mumbling. "Even chicken does, and she never even met them."

After this they finished their work and made their way towards the Great-Hall. The sun was almost behind the horizon and pretty soon it would be very dark outside. On to another Snoggletog without the Haddock siblings they thought.

Little did they know that they were closer than they thought. Above in the clouds not very far from the island was a Draconian Bastion-class airship teaming ahead through the raging blizzard. It had been on its way from the Imperial capitol for two weeks now and its passengers were eager to see Berk again.

"Nice weather don't you think?" Hiccup said sarcastically as he looked out of the cockpit into the snowstorm outside.

"Yep, that's Berk for ya." Hicca said as she leisurely rested her feet on the pilot controls. "We honestly should be almost there." She said.

"Good, though I think we'd better turn on the lights. Otherwise we won't see where to land." Hiccup said.

"Yeah, I think we should." Hicca said as she took her feet of the pilot controls. "Otherwise we might accidentally plough Gothi's hut off the top of the Great-Hall."

"We wouldn't want that now would we?" Hiccup asked sarcastically.

"No, I have only heard stories about Gothi's temper, I really don't want to be on the receiving end of it. On another note, you still up for the dramatic entry plan?" Hicca asked.

"Of course! You know how much I love my dramatic flair. Though I suppose you're equally good at it." Hiccup said.

"You got that right!" Hicca said.

"Indeed. Now, you can begin lowering the ship. I'll ignite the search lights." Hiccup said before he left the bridge Toothless in tow.

"Well, here goes nothing." Hicca said to herself before pushing the levers and guiding the airship downwards. The lights, which were slow burning, magnesium based fires reflected by mirrors came on several minutes later. Burning two bright beams in the dark and stormy night.

 **Great-Hall, evening, 268 ADF**

The entirety of Berk was seated inside the Great-Hall, all were cuddled up with their families around warm crackling fires. The teens had all joined their respective parents and the twins were once again seated with the Ingermans. Mostly out of their son's fondness for the female twin and because the two adolescents needed somewhere to turn to. Stoick was seated at the central table with Valka and Gobber. The mood was cheery but in the back of his head he was sad. Sad because his own children weren't here with them and that he hadn't heard anything from them for the past five months. Previous Snoggletogs they had always received a letter from Hicca giving them and the rest of the village the bests of wishes and some vague updates on the war effort. She also told them she was trying and sometimes failing to teach Hiccup something about Viking culture and habits. His reactions always brought a smile on his and the rest of the village's faces. But this time there was nothing.

Stoick stood from his seat to give his annual Snoggletog speech, as was tradition.

"My fellow Vikings, I hereby welcome you at our annual Snoggletog feast. Today we celebrate the beginning of a new year and the good times we may share with our loved ones. I am proud to announce that last year was one of the best yet. The harvests were excellent and we've had the honour to welcome new villagers." Stoick said as he gestured to some of the new-borns in the hall. "We thank the gods that we may celebrate this holiday with those we love." He said before his visage turned solemn. "And we remember those who aren't with us anymore. …or couldn't be here."

Many a Viking nodded as almost all of them knew whom he was talking about. The only ones who didn't were the children who were too young to know who he was talking about or didn't understand the reasons they weren't here.

"Today will mark the third Snoggletog both my son and daughter couldn't be with us. I admit I haven't heard from them for the past five months but I keep hope alive that they will return one day. And in turn we all must celebrate, for their sacrifices make the archipelago safe." Stoick said as he raised his tankard. "I wish to bring the first toast of this night. For my son, my daughter and all of Berk!" he proclaimed.

"HERE HERE!" the rest of the Vikings toasted.

Stoick and the rest of the hall drank but even before anyone could put down their tankard the doors were almost smashed open by one of the guards stumbling in as fast as he could bringing the frigid outside air with him.

The guard panted from running so fast through the snow. He had barely caught his breath before stuttering. "CH…CHIEF!"

Stoick's eyes went wide, he put down his tankard and spoke to the guard. An interruption on Snoggletog like this was rare if non-existent, whatever it was it was urgent. "What is it?!" he asked.

The guard was barely able to form words and pointed to the open door. "Ou…outside…lights…they…c...came out of the clouds!" he managed to explain.

Several people's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. Astrid even dropped her tankard. Those exact words were uttered by a guard over two years ago just moments before what many recalled as the Draconian invasion of Berk.

Stoick was static for a moment. He turned to look to his wife who had equally wide eyes as him. She looked up at him before giving a small nod. Almost instantly both Haddocks flew from their chairs and barrelled out of the Great-Hall. They were closely followed by Gobber who only took a second longer to realise what was happening. After him were Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff together with the respective families all thinking the same. Soon the entire Great-Hall poured empty as everyone huddled in thick fur clothes and stepped in the cold outside air and sank their feet in the thick blanket of snow that covered the island.

Once outside they looked up to see two white beams of light piercing the dark and snow-filled sky. Both beams originating out of the silhouette of a monstrous flying machine the Berkians had come to know as a Draconian airship. The snow howled around the flying machine and was blown in all directions by the force exerted by the ship's turbines as they lowered the vehicle to the ground.

Many a Viking watched in awe and some people even got tears in their eyes. Astrid both her hand in front of her mouth, she was beyond happy to see just a glimpse of what could mean a return of the Haddock siblings.

Stoick watched with equally tear filled eyes as his greatest wish for the past two years was fulfilled right on Snoggletog. He put a hand around the shoulders of his equally happy and tearing wife as the ship got closer to the ground.

As the ship lowered the six mechanical landing legs were deployed with heavy churning of the metal gears. Moments later the airship touched down on the snow covered ground kicking up enough of it to make several Vikings' hair white for several moments. Afterwards the Vikings heard the sounds of the engines powering down and the turbines losing speed. The ground in front of the ship still being illuminated by the two lights on the front.

The drawbridge unlocked and was lowered down onto the ground, though no-one exited the craft when the door was all the way down.

The Vikings were confused as to why no-one came out of the vessel and others held their breaths in anticipation. They were rewarded when the silhouette of a person in armour appeared in the door opening. Followed seconds later by the silhouette of a dragon.

Hiccup walked off the ramp with Toothless right behind him. He was in his full armour and had his helmet on, otherwise they might have seen him grinning. He stopped walking when he was on solid ground and looked straight forward to the Vikings in front of him.

Stoick and the rest were about to step forward and meet them but he stopped when Hiccup stood still at the end of the ramp and no-one else exited. He didn't understand. After a few moments a thought dawned on Valka however. "Oh no…" She whispered as she put a hand in front of her mouth.

Several other Vikings started whispering as well. All of them questioning why it was only the man whom they thought was Hiccup who had exited the transport. Several began muttering the unspoken question. Had Hicca… died?

Before anyone could burst out into tears or question the whereabouts of the younger girl the man who was now definitely identified as Hiccup due to the Nightfury behind him started chuckling. The Vikings looked up at him and wondered what he was laughing about.

Then Hiccup stopped laughing and turned his head around looking behind him.

Out of the darkness of the Draconian airship emerged a second figure, clad in white-yellow decorated armour used by the Imperial military. The second figure was definitely female and heavily armed. Being only a little bit smaller than Hiccup she stopped next to him, the recognisable silhouette of a Skrill resting next to Toothless.

Hiccup raised his left fist and Hicca graciously bumped in as a celebration for a dramatic entry well done. Then they both removed their helmets.

The Villagers of Berk watched in awe as any memories of the awkward little girl known as Hicca Horrendous Haddock IV were washed away and replaced by a proud and tall young woman who in their opinion could match Astrid in beauty and if all the weapons she carried were an indicator maybe even battle.

At the moment Valka didn't even care if the tears were flowing rapidly of her cheeks, whilst sobbing in happiness she launched herself at her daughter who against some of the other villager's expectations was perfectly able to catch her mother's momentum without toppling over. The young woman now almost reached her mother height.

"Hey mom." Hicca said with a smile.

"You're alive… both of you are." Valka said as she refused to let go of Hicca.

Hicca chuckled and Hiccup spoke. "What? Did you really think we'd die so easily?" he joked.

Seconds after he'd said that he was hit on the arm. Hard.

"Yow!" Hiccup screamed out before looking at Astrid beside him who had delivered the punch. "Wa what is it with you? Is it always going to be violence?" He asked incredulously.

"Oh shut up you…" Astrid said before grabbing Hiccup's collar and planting a firm and long kiss on his lips.

When she released she made a small giggle at Hiccup's dazed face. "I could get used to this." He said eventually.

Chuckles ran out through the Viking crowd that rapidly evolved in full blown laughter while Stoick stepped forward and lifting his son, daughter and wife in a bone crushing hug. All while Hiccup and Hicca were protesting and saying something about air. Meanwhile Toothless head-butted Astrid in the side demanding attention.

"Hello Toothless." Astrid said as she petted the black dragon much to his delight. Over the years she had come to grow less afraid of dragons and tough some mistrust remained she could manage Toothless.

Meanwhile Stoick had released both siblings and Hiccup had noticed Toothless cuddling up to Astrid. "I think he likes you." He said to Astrid.

"Seems like it. Is it just you two this time? No hidden armies inside that monstrosity?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "No, no invasion forces this time. There's no need right?" Hiccup answered.

"I do hope so." Astrid said taking a step closer to Hiccup and hugging him again. "I missed you Hiccup."

Hiccup wrapped his arms around her as well. "Same here Astrid. Same here." He said.

"So, son?" Stoick asked causing Hiccup to release Astrid and turn around to look at his dad. "Are you staying?" Stoick asked.

Hiccup chuckled. "Yes, the war is over so this time we're staying. Now I don't mind this conversation but could we continue it inside. Is it not Snubbletug?" he said.

"Snoggletog!" Hicca corrected him.

"Right, sorry!" Hiccup said as Stoick and the rest of the village were laughing.

"Everyone back to the Great-Hall! Tonight we feast like never before!" Stoick proclaimed.

The villagers roared in approval and made their way back to the Great-Hall. The two siblings smiled and Hiccup nodded to Hicca signalling her to close up the ship. Hicca nodded back and moved around the boarding ramp to pull the outside release lever. It could both be used to open or close the front ramp. It also shut off the searchlights. Afterwards she again joined Hiccup and the rest moving for the Hall.

"I hope you're not going to make any remarks if we bring Toothless and Elysia inside with us dad?" Hiccup said.

Stoick did look a little wary for a moment but signed in the end. It's not like he would be able to stop them. "As long as you can keep them under control it's fine by me." He said eventually.

"There's only two of them right?" Gobber asked.

"Uh, no actually. There is a third one." Hiccup said making the group stop in their tracks. "We noticed him flying with us around the second day of our travels. Wait, I'll call him." He said.

Hiccup put two fingers in his mouth and let out a high pitched whistle. One that was answered by a roar in the sky, a roar that sounded eerily familiar to Stoick and Valka.

"I know that sound…" Valka said.

Suddenly a large silhouette could be seen descending from the sky, its four wings spread mimicking the insignia of the Draconian empire and a shadow that had haunted both Haddock parents' nightmares for years.

"Mom, dad. Meet Cloudjumper. Although I think you might have already met, about twenty years ago." Hiccup said. "You know I actually can't think of any way to properly introduce you guys to each other. Seeing the… history…. All you have to know is: I don't blame him for his actions for they made me who I am today. Please try to look beyond past encounters." Hiccup almost pleaded.

Stoick was static, right in front of him was the creature that had haunted his nightmares for years without end. Had he not been a changed man he would have charged the beast h then and there. Letting nothing stop him. Now however he felt as if he couldn't move, rooted to the ground by something he couldn't explain.

Valka was equally rooted to the ground not knowing what to do, but there was something about the way that dragon looked at her. It had something mesmerising. As if beckoning her to come to it. But she wasn't the only one who saw it.

Hiccup and Hicca had realised what was happening and while Hiccup motioned the other Vikings to take a step back Hicca went to her mother.

"You should go to him." Hicca said.

Valka made a nervous side-glance at her daughter, though never taking her eyes of the dragon. As mesmerised as she was she was also scared.

"Don't be afraid. He won't hurt you, he never would." Hicca said.

Trusting her daughter's judgement Valka stepped forward towards Cloudjumper. Stoick tried to say something but he was stopped by Hiccup holding him back and promising she would be fine. This was something she had to do alone.

Valka approached the great beast although wary of what it could do and what it did. But seeing it in front of her reminded her also of the fact that this mighty creature had disproven everything they thought they knew about dragons as a whole. She saw it playing with an infant Hiccup and it didn't kill her on sight that day. It… no he didn't kill her. The beast in front of her didn't look like a born killing machine either. Instead she saw a kind and gentle creature. A creature that helped make both her children what they were today.

Somewhere in the back of her mind something compelled her to extend her hand towards the dragon and close her eyes. Vaguely she could hear Stoick shout her name but she paid no heed to it, instead she was surprised and mesmerised by the warm scales that touched her hand and the bond that was formed. She opened her eyes looked in the diluted ones of Cloudjumper.

"Hello Cloudjumper." She said as she stroked the warm scales. "Nice to finally meet you officially."

After some awkward introductions and some arguing with Stoick about Cloudjumper all the Vikings were finally seated inside the Great-Hall. A lot of things had happened today already and the night was far from over. All the village opted to form a wide circle around the warm fires with food and drinks within reach and listen all night to the amazing stories the two had to tell. However this time it wouldn't be Hiccup who was talking. No he was comfortably sitting next to Valka with his arm slung around Astrid and his helmet on his lap. Toothless, Elysia and Cloudjumper opted to stay behind him, the latter still keeping some distance with Stoick. Hiccup had ensured him he just needed some time to adjust, he would come around eventually.

Hicca had gone to fetch a few tankards for herself, Astrid and Hiccup. She gave each one and Hiccup tried Viking mead for the first time.

Hiccup winced and pulled a face when taking a sip. "Alright, not something I'm used to. Little strange of taste." He said.

"Maybe you should spice it up a little." Hicca said as she patted the flask on her belt.

"Good idea." Hiccup pointed out as he put his tankard down and reached in his belt to remove the flask and open it. He then put some drops of the liquid in his tankard.

"Uh Hiccup, what is that?" Astrid asked.

"Oh this? It's an alcoholic drink from Draconia. Want to try?" Hiccup asked.

"Sure." Astrid said before she was handed the flask and took a sip. Which promptly caused her to wince and couch once she swallowed the liquid.

Hiccup and Hicca chuckled. "Too strong for you milady?" Hiccup asked.

"No! I can handle it. It's just…different." Astrid said.

"Sure Astrid." Hicca said as she turned around making Astrid see the weapon on her back.

"Wow, Hicca what is up with that axe?" Astrid asked.

Hicca smiled and grabbed the axe from her back. "Pretty nifty isn't it. Has been my primary weapon during the war." She said as she tossed it to Astrid, who examined it with great interest.

"Why is the shaft so wide? It's like I'm holding two axes in one hand." Astrid said.

"Oh I did some modifying. Can I have it back for a moment?" Hicca asked.

Astrid gave back the axe and got Hicca's tankard in return. "Hold that." Hicca said. Moments later she swung the axe around, bending the hinge so it became an axe-staff. Then proceeded to twirl it around.

"Whoa, I want one." Astrid said.

"Now, I think we're all very excited you guys are back but I'd like to hear some stories." Gobber suddenly said.

Hicca shrunk her axe-staff and placed it back and turned to the crowd. "You all want to hear about our great adventure." She asked.

"Yeah!" The crowd called.

"Hiccup?" Hicca asked. Asking if he wanted to take over.

"Nah, you're doing fine sis. The crowd is all yours." Hiccup answered.

"Alright where do I start?" Hicca asked the crowd.

"What about the beginning lass?" Angus Hofferson said.

"Right then. After we left Berk… it all began with boot camp…"

For the rest of the evening and eventually night Hicca told her story. She began with the hellish six months in boot camp of which multiple of the older and more hardened Vikings thought she was exaggerating. Too her first deployment with the fourth legion. She told about the more child friendly battles she either fought alone or together with Hiccup and the third legion. She left out most of the brutality to protect the young and innocent minds of the children present. She told them about the wonders of the wider world, the places she had been. Sometimes Hiccup cut in to tell a small story for himself of what happened when the two split up or to reinforce Hicca's stories. They told them of the good times when not in combat, the funny situations they got themselves in, even that time when they accidentally blew up a room in the Imperial palace. Stoick got some cold sweat at that moment realising they now had to deal with a double dose of insane siblings. Only these were ten times smarter and a hell of a lot more dangerous. He briefly wondered what the future may hold and for how long the village would survive.

Hiccup and Hicca had only one thought on this matter. The future ahead of them was bright, filled with adventure and family. They would make it better. They would decide their own course for the future.

Together as family…

 **The end**

 **I'm looking here at the bottom of my screen and see 10 027 words of story. Damn, longest one ever made! Told you guys it would be a long one!**

 **And I guess that's it, the final chapter of A Prophecy and a Dragon. I must say it has been an amazing experience in making this story that actually started with a ridiculous idea and a movie soundtrack. I wrote most of this story whilst listening the Man of Steel soundtrack and the entire soundtrack from the first three Transformers movies actually. They brought up the right mood.**

 **First of all I'd like to thank the people who've been so supportive during this story, the community has been nothing but kind and encouraging. Spurring me on to write more chapters, really you guys are the best. Special thanks to the users: assasins death, JHawkins, KittywithaKnife,** **thearizona, Maerk, 5 or Frost (again sorry about the trouble with the name. I can't seem to fix it.), mc arno and all the rest of you who have been so supportive. All your reviews have kept me motivated.**

 **As for the story I hope the ending was satisfactory, I did mention the possibility of a sequel several times in the past. The idea is there it just needs to lay and ripe for some time. Right now I'm a little bit done with this story, but perhaps in the future. Though this does not mean I'll quit writing for the time being. I will hereby admit that for the past few months have been working on another story though not in the httyd fandom. Let's just say that I'll be publishing that after I take a short break.**

 **Reviews:**

 **thearizona: It's Danny phantom actually, and I might just do it during. It's always good to find some distraction, continuously writing one story is hard. Trust me on this one. As for your question, Stoick has not spread the word to the other tribes because I thought I could make for some hilarious situations in the future. Alvin is actually dead but the remnants of the outcasts still exist. Dagur is still more or less alive but might have an irrational fear for Hiccup by now. Oh joy!**

 **Looperst: Thank you. I'll put it in under development alright?**

 **Maerk: well you're not wrong.**

 **Grima: I'm kinda struggling to follow your train of thought. Snotlout teaming up with the Norn is something interesting to explore but at the same time why would they help him? And what can they do now both siblings are back on Berk? And Berk will get their own dragons in the sequel,….eventually…I think…**

 **JHawkins: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm signing off on this for now. Till next time!**

 **Anyway I guess this is it. Note that I won't be able to reply to your reviews in the next chapter. (Because there won't be a next). But I you really want a reply just let me know in the review. With that being said I bid you all goodbye for now.**

 **For a final time…**

 **Dismissed.**


End file.
